.DIES,- 

THEIR  CONSTRUCTION   AND  USE 

FOR  THE 

Modern  Working  of  Sheet  Metals. 

A.    TREATISE 

ON  THE  DESIGN,  CONSTRUCTION  AND   USE  OF  DIES,  PUNCHES, 

TOOLS,  FIXTURES   AND  DEVICES,  TOGETHER  WITH   THE 

MANNER   IN   WHICH    THEY    SHOULD    BE    USED    IN 

THE     POWER     PRESS,     FOR     THE     CHEAP 

AND    RAPID   PRODUCTION   OF  SHEET 

METAL    PARTS   AND    ARTICLES. 


FUNDAMENTAL   DESIGNS   AND   PRACTICAL  POINTS   BY   WHICH 
SHEET      METAL      PARTS      MAY     BE     PRODUCED     AT     THE 
MINIMUM     OF    COST     TO     THE     MAXIMUM     OF     OUT- 
PUT:      WITH      SPECIAL      REFERENCE      TO      THE 
HARDENING     AND      TEMPERING     OF     PRESS 
TOOLS,     THE    USE    OF     FILES,    AND    TO 
THE     CLASSES      OF    WORK     WHICH 
MAY     BE     PRODUCED    TO    THE 
BEST  ADVANTAGE   BY  THE 
USE   OF   DIES    IN   THE 

POWER   PRESS.       f  UNIVERSITY    } 

OF 
BY 

JOSEPH     V.    WOODWORTH. 

Illustrated  by  .'0.7  Engravings. 


YORK: 
BTN-ILtEY    &    CO. 

132    NASSAU    STREET 
1903. 


HALLIDIE 


COPYRIGHTED    1902 

BY 
NORMAN  W.  HENLEY  &  Co. 


TO 
FREDERICK    «J.    BRYOJST, 

THE   AUTHOR'S   FRIEND   AND   ASSOCIATE, 

WHOSE   KINDLY   INTEREST    AND   ENCOURAGEMENT  WILL   EVER   BE   REMEMBERED, 
THIS    HOOK   IS   AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


The  use  of  the  power  press  for  the  cheap  production  of  sheet 
metal  parts  (both  large  and  small)  has  progressed  in  a  truly  won- 
derful manner  during  the  last  few  years,  and,  by  the  adoption  and 
use  of  suitable  dies  and  fixtures,  this  modern  machine  tool  has 
demonstrated  its  efficiency  for  turning  out  work  formerly  (and 
even  now  in  a  large  number  of  shops)  produced  by  the  milling- 
machine,  the  shaper,  the  drill  press  and  the  forge.  Especially  is 
this  so  where  the  parts  required  are  of  flat  soft  steel  or  iron ;  and 
in  not  only  one  line  of  machine  manufacturing  has  the  power 
press  been  used  in  this  manner,  but  in  every  line. 

The  management  of  the  manufacturing  establishments  in  which 
the  power  press  has  been  adopted  for  the  production  of  parts  as 
referred  to  above,  understand  and  appreciate  the  full  value  of  dies  ; 
and  in  such  shops  they  and  the  machines  in  which  they  are  used 
have  become  as  great  factors  in  production  as  any  of  the  other 
tools  in  general  use. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  use  and  adaptation  of  dies  and 
press  fixtures  are  becoming  understood,  the  endless  variety  of 
articles  which  they  turn. out,  and  the  great  numbers  of  mechanics 
who  are  in  various  ways  engaged  in  devising  and  constructing 
such  tools,  have  suggested  to  the  author  that  a  practical,  compre- 
hensive treatise  on  this  subject  would  be  of  value  and  interest  to  all 
persons  who  might  be  in  any  way  interested  in  modern  sheet- 
metal  working. 

In  writing  this  book  the  author  has  done  so  with  the  purpose 
of  giving  to  practical  men  a  book  which  would  treat  these  pre- 
eminent factors  in  modern  manufacturing — Dies — as  they  should 
be  treated ;  and  that  is,  from  the  viewpoint  of  a  practical  man.  In 
the  pages  following  are  shown  engravings  of  dies,  press  fixtures 
and  sheet-metal  working  devices,  from  the  simplest  to  the  most 
intricate  in  modern  use,  and  the  author  has  endeavored  to  describe 
their  construction  and  use  in  a  clear,  practical  manner,  so  that  all 
grades  of  metal-working  mechanics  will  be  able  to  understand 
thoroughly  how  to  design,  construct  and  use  them,  for  the  pro- 


8  PREFACE. 

duction  of  the  marvelous  variety  of  sheet-metal  articles  and  parts 
which  are  now  in  general  use,  and  form  an  integral  part  of  our 
twentieth  century  civilization.  Many  of  the  dies  and  press  fixtures 
shown  and  described  herein  were  constructed  by  the  author,  others 
under  his  supervision ;  while  others  were  constructed  by  some  of 
our  most  skillful  mechanics  and  used  in  some  of  the  largest  sheet- 
metal  goods  establishments  and  machine  shops  in  the  United 
States.  A  number  of  the  tools  shown  have  been  selected  from 
over  150  published  articles  which  have  been  written  for  the 
columns  of  "The  American  Machinist,"  "Machinery"  and  "The 
Age  of  Steel,"  under  the  author's  own  name  and  various  pen 
names.  For  a  number  of  practical  "points"  and  "kinks"  which 
have  been  written  into  the  text  of  the  volume  the  author  acknow- 
ledges his  indebtedness,  with  thanks,  to  the  following  individuals 
and  establishments :  Mr.  J.  E.  Fillman,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Mr. 
W.  B.  Bailey,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Mr.  Robert  Leith,  Hoosick  Falls, 
N.  Y. ;  Mr.  Walter  J."  Woodworth,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Mr.  Charles 
Colligan,  Hartford,  Conn. ;  E.  W.  Bliss  Company,  Brooklyn, 
X.  Y. ;  The  Cleveland  Punch  and  Shear  Company,  Cleveland, 
O. ;  Perkins  Machine  Company,  Boston,  Mass. ;  Nicholson  File 
Company,  Providence,  R.  I. 

We  have  endeavored  to  keep  all  obsolete  matter  out  of  this 
volume,  and  to  make  every  die  and  device  and  press  shown  repre- 
sent the  highest  that  has  been  attained  in  the  development  of  each 
type  described.  The  description  of  -the  construction  and  appli- 
cation of  the  tools,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  will  enable  the  practical  man 
to  adopt  them  for  the  production  of  sheet-metal  parts  and  articles 
to  the  maximum  of  output  at  the  minimum  of  cost  and  labor. 
It  is  the  earnest  wish  of  the  author  that  a  perusal  of  the  contents 
of  this  volume  will  enable  all  who  may  be  in  any  way  interested 
in  sheet-metal  working  to  contribute  to  the  manufacture  of 
sheet-metal  parts  in  a  manner  which  is  up-to-date,  both  as  to 
efficiency  and  working  qualities  of  the  output  and  to  cheapness  in 
production. 

Of  the  origin  or  antiquity  of  the  art  of  sheet-metal  working 
the  author  knows  very  little ;  and  although  he  realizes  that  the 
marvelous  numbers  of  ingenious  tools  and  devices  which  are  used 
to-day  to  produce  articles  ranging  from  the  modest  trouser  button 
to  the  massive  boiler  head  are  but  the  results  of  a  long  course  of 
evolution,  he  is  convinced  that  a  treatise  describing  the  tools  and 
devices  of  the  present  day  is  what  the  practical  man  wants. 


PREFACE.  9 

Although  the  origin  and  history  of  obsolete  methods  and  tools 
may  be  of  interest  to  the  antiquary,  the  present-day  machinist 
prefers  to  spend  his  hours  of  leisure  in  acquainting  himself  with 
the  design,  construction  and  use  of  tools  with  which  he  may  in- 
crease the  output  and  lower  the  cost  of  production,  and  thereby 
increase  his  earning  capacity.  With  this  object  in  view,  and 
trusting  that  all  metal-working  mechanics  may  be  helped  by  it, 
this  book  is  modestly  submitted  to  the  public. 

JOSEPH  V.  WOODWORTH. 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  November,  1902. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   CONSTRUCTION   AND   USE  OF   "SINGLE"   OR  BLANKING   DIES,   AND   "DOUBLE" 
OR   PIERCING   AND   BLANKING   DIES. 

Introductory — Steel — The  Construction  of  a  Simple  Punch  and  Die 
—The  Bolster— The  Die  Blank— The  Templets— Working  the 
Templet  through  the  Die — Giving  Clearance  to  the  Die — Locat- 
ing the  Piercing  Dies — Hardening  a  Blanking  and  Piercing 
Die — Making  the  Blanking  Punch — Locating  the  Blanking 
Punch  in  the  Punch  Plate— Locating  the  Piercing  Punches  in 
the  Punch  Plate — Finishing  the  Die — Fundamental  Points  to  be 
remembered — Setting  the  Die  and  using  it — A  Plain  Blanking 
Die — Dies  for  Large  Blanks — The  Use  of  the  Power  Press — 
Open-back  Presses — Lining  up  and  Leveling  a  Power  Press — 
Using  the  Proper  Tools — A  Press  for  Small  and  Medium- 
Sized  Parts  17  to  37 

CHAPTER  II. 

SIMPLE   DIES   FOR   USE   IN   THE   MACHINE   SHOP. 

An  Emergency  Die — A  Shearing  Die  for  finishing  Heavy  Blanks — 
Burnishing  Dies — Dies  for  finishing  Holes  in  Heavy  Stock — A 
Curling  Die  for  a  Hinge — Die  for  Curling  Metal  Tubes — A 
Washer  Die — A  Burnishing  Die  for  finishing  Heavy  Blanks — 
A  Bending  Die  for  Right-Angle  Bends — Planing  the  Angle 
on  Die  Blanks — Blanking  and  Bending  in  One  Operation — 
Punching  Heavy  Stock— A  Set  of  Dies  showing  how  Sheet 
Metal  may  be  drawn  and  formed  into  Various  Shapes — Form- 
ing Dies  for  Square-grooved  Tubes 38  to  60 

CHAPTER  III. 
"GANG"  AND  "FOLLOW"  DIES — HOW  TO  ADAPT  AND  USE  THEM. 

The  use  of  "Gang"  and  "Follow"  Dies — A  Simple  Gang  Die  and 
its  Work — A  Gang  Die  for  a  Sheet-metal  Bracket — A  Gang 
Die  for  Metal  Tags — A  Gang  Die  and  Two  Forming  Dies  for 
Umbrella-rib  Tips — A  Gang  Die  for  an  Odd-Shaped  Piece — A 
Gang  Die  for  producing  the  Blank  cf  a  Compass  Sliding 
Bracket — A  "Follow"  Die  which  draws,  pierces,  end-finishes, 
outs  off  and  bends  in  One  Operation — A  Complete  Set  of  Dies 


12  CONTENTS. 

for  the  Manufacture  of  Sheet-Metal  Hinges — An  Automatic 
Combination,  Piercing,  Bending  and  Twisting  Die  for  Box- 
corner  Fasteners 61  to  92 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    ADAPTATION    AND    USE    OF    SIMPLE    DIES    AND    PRESS    FIXTURES    FOR    THE 
ECONOMIC  PRODUCTION  OF  SHEET-METAL  PARTS. 

The  Power  Press  in  Agricultural  Machine  Work — Punching  a 
Mild-steel  Strap — Seeing  Power  Presses  at  Work — Piercing, 
forming  and  punching  Heavy  Blanks  in  One  Operation — Mak- 
ing Pinions  and  Racks  by  Punching — A  Set  of  Dies  for  a  Fun- 
nel-ended Tube — A  Set  of  Dies  for  a  Sheet-metal  Bracket — A 
Double-blanking  Die,  a  Piercing,  Cutting-off  and  Forming  Die, 
and  a  Large  Double-Blanking  Die — Punches  and  Dies  for  pro- 
ducing Parts  of  an  Electric  Cloth-cutting  Machine — An  Arma- 
ture Disk-notching  Die  with  a  Dial  Feed — Dies  for  Switchboard 
Clips — A  Cutting-off  and  End-finishing  Die,  and  an  Accurate 
Sectional  Die  with  a  Chute  Feed  and  Finger  Stripper 93  to  128 

CHAPTER  V. 

BENDING  AND  FORMING  DIES  AND  FIXTURES. 

Bending  Dies,  Simple  vs.  Intricate — Dies  for  making  a  Large 
"Safety"  Pin — Forming  a  Funnel-ended  Tube — Bending  Dies 
for  Wire  Lock  Clasps — A  Bending  Die  for  Wire  Staples — An 
Automatic  Wire-bending  Die — Cutting,  perforating  and  shap- 
ing in  One  Operation — Blanking  and  Stamping  in  a  Press  with 
Automatic  Slide — Feed  and  Ejector — Two  Bending  Dies  for  Flat 
Stock — An  Automatic-slide  Forming  Die  for  a  Sheet-metal 
Ferrule — A  Press  with  an  Automatic  Device  for  Tube  Form- 
ing— Bending  and  Forming  Dies  for  Round  Work — Bending  and 
Closing-in  Dies  for  Round  Work — Foot  Presses  and  Outfit  of 
Dies  for  producing  Five-gallon  Petroleum  Cans— A  Double- 
Crank  Press  and  Outfit  of  Bending  Dies — A  Pickeye  Forming 
Press  with  Dies  in  Position — Four  "Follow"  Dies  for  Bending 
and  Forming — A  Special  Forming  Die — Two  Can-body  Bend- 
ing and  Forming  Machines — An  Inclined  Press  with  Dies  for 
Stamping  and  Bending  Body  Blanks  for  Petroleum  Cans — A 
Novel  Bending  and.  Forming  Die 12910176 

CHAPTER  VI. 

PERFORATING   DIES   AND    PROCESSES    FOR   THIN   AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 

The  Use  of  Perforating  Dies — The  Construction  of  a  Simple  Pierc- 
ing Punch  and  Die — Piercing  Two  Holes  in  Opposite  Sides  of 
a  Drawn  Shell — Fixtures  for  Perforating  Burner  and  Other 


CONTENTS.  13 

Shells — Press  with  Cam-actuated  Stripper  for  Perforated  Metal 
— Piercing  and  Blanking  Armature  Disks  in  One  Operation — 
A  Quadruplicate  Automatic  Slide  Die  for  Piercing  Conical 
Shells — Regular  and  Staggered  Perforations — Perforating 
Press  with  Automatic  Spacing  Table — Double  Roll-feed  Per- 
forating Press  having  Lateral  Feed  for  Staggered  Patterns  in 
Perforated  Metal — Perforating  Single  Rows  of  Holes — The 
Construction  of  a  Special  Punch  Press  for  Perforating  Tin 
Ferrules  177  to  202 

CHAPTER  VII. 

CfRLING,    WIRING    AND    SEAMING    PROCESSES. 

The  Terms  Denned — Use  of  the  Tools — Curling  Dies — Funda- 
mental Principles — Action  of  the  Metal — Wiring  Dies  for 
Shell  Work— A  Curling  Punch  and  Die  for  Milk  Pans— A  Curl- 
ing Punch  and  Die  for  Deep  Shells — Wiring  Large  Shells — 
Horizontal  Dial  Press  With  Pick-off  Attachment — Horning, 
or  Seaming,  Tools  and  Presses — Duplex  Folding  and  Seaming 
for  Locked  Seams — Double  Seaming  of  Flat,  Round  Deep  Bot- 
toms— A  Double  Seaming  Machine  with  Blank  Centering  De- 
vice and  Collapsible  Chuck — Double-seaming  Oval,  Oblong, 
Square  Shapes,  etc. — Rolling  Seams  on  Square  Cans 203  to  225 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR     SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 

Scarcity  of  Mechanics  Who  Understand  Drawing  Processes— Un- 
certainty as  to  the  Best  Means  to  Adopt— Types  of  Dies  in 
General  Use  for  Producing  Drawn  Shells — Combination  Dies 
—Their  Use — Spring  Pressure  Attachment  for  Combination 
Dies — Double-acting  Cutting  and  Drawing  Dies — Their  Use 
— Plain  Drawing  Dies  and  Redrawing  Dies — Drawing  Dies 
With  Inside  Blank-holders— Triple-action  Drawing  Dies— The 
Making  of  a  Combination  Die,  for  Blanking  and  Drawing  a 
Shell  in  a  Single-action  Press — Simple,  or  "Push-through," 
Drawing  Dies — Drawing  Small  Shells  from  Heavy  Stock — 
Making  an  Accurate  Combination  Blanking  and  Drawing  Die 
—Making  the  Drawing  Punch— The  Drawing  Die— The  Die 
Bolster— Finding  the  Blank— Machining  the  Cutting  Die— Fin- 
ishing the  Punch— Using  the  Die— Constructing  a  Solid-back 
Combination  Die  for  Shallow  Rectangular  Shells— Making  the 
Templets  and  the  Drawing  Punch — Machining  the  Drawing- 
Portion  of  the  Punch  Proper— One  Way  of  Finding  the  Blank 
for  a  Rectangular  Shell— Finishing  the  Blanking  Portion  of 
the  Drawing  Die— Locating  the  Drawing  Punch  Within  the 
Die— Hardening  the  Cutting  Die— Finishing  a  Square  Blank- 
ing Punch— Use  and  Action  of  the  Die— A  Set  of  Dies  for  Rec- 


14  CONTENTS. 

tangular  Decorated  Tin  Boxes — First  Operation  for  Rec- 
tangular Shells — Fundamental  Practical  Points  for  Making  Ir- 
regular-shaped Drawing  Dies — Trimming  and  Re-drawing  Die 
for  Second  Operation — The  Use  of  Trimming  Dies  for  Drawn 
Work — The  Beading  of  the  Shell — Rules  for  Figuring  the  Ap- 
proximate Size  of  Blanks  for  Drawn  Shells — The  Drawing 
and  Forming  of  Aluminum 226  to  268 

CHAPTER    IX. 

COINING     PROCESSES — PUNCHES      AND     PRESSES     FOR     OPERATIONS     ON      HEAVY 

STOCK. 

The  Philadelphia  Mint — Coining  Processes — An  Embossing  Press 
for  Work  Requiring  Heavy  Pressure — Punching  Tools  for 
Heavy  Work — Double-crank  Presses  for  Operating  Large  Cut- 
ting Dies — Heavy  Notching  Press  with  Punch  and  Die  in  Po- 
sition—Heavy  Disc  Punching — Steam-driven  Multiple  Punches 
— Multiple  Punch  with  Hand-feed  Spacing  Table — Heavy  Beam 
Punching — A  Beam-coping  Machine  with  Coping  Dies  in  Posi- 
tion   269  to  285 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET    METAL    TO    DIES — LUBRICATION    OF    PRESS    WORK. 

Feeding  of  Stock  a  Factor  in  Production — Hand  Feeding — Single- 
roll  Feed — Double  Roll  Feed — Feeding  Partly-finished  Parts  and 
Articles  to  Dies — The  Feeding  of  Parts  which  have  been  pre- 
viously punched — Double-roll  Feeding  for  Producing  Small 
Pierced  Blanks  from  the  Strip — Double-roll  and  Lateral  Feeds 
— Double-roll  Feed  with  Automatic  Release — Dial  Feeds — The 
Friction  Dial  Feed— The  Ratchet  Dial  Feed— A  Press  with 
Adjustable  Punch  Carriers  and  an  Automatic  Friction  Dial- 
feed — A  Double-action  Gang  Press  with  Special  Automatic 
Feed — Lubricants  to  Use  in  the  Working  of  Sheet  Metal.  .286  to  303 

CHAPTER  XI. 

ANNEALING     TOOL     STEEL,     AND     HARDENING     AND     TEMPERING     PROCESSES     FOR 

PRESS    TOOLS — INCLUDING    HINTS    AND    SUGGESTIONS    ON    THE    PROPER 

USE    OF    FILES. 

Annealing  Defined — Hardening  Defined — Tempering  Defined — Heat- 
ing Defined — Hardening  and  Tempering  Small  Tools — Hard- 
ness and  Toughness  in  Steel — Special  Methods  of  Hardening 
Steel — Hardening  Compounds — Tempering  in  the  Sand  Bath — 
Hardening  the  Walls  of  a  Hole — Reannealing  After  Roughing 
—Water  Annealing — Warping  of  Tools  in  Hardening — The 
Location  of  the  Hardening  Furnace — Hardening  Very  Small 


CONTENTS.  1 5 

Parts — Tempering  in  Oil — Straightening  Hardened  Pieces 
Which  Have  Warped — The  Use  of  Fire  Clay  in  Hardening 
— Hardening  Dies — Hardening  Fluids  for  Dies — Steel  for 
Punches — Soft  vs.  Hard  Punches  and  Dies — Judgment  and 
Carefulness  in  Hardening — The  Use  of  Machine  Steel  for 
Press  Tools  and  the  Hardening  of  it — Hardening  Large  Steel 
Ring  Dies  so  as  to  Prevent  Cracking  and  Excessive  Warping. 
— The  Effects  of  Previous  Annealing  in  Hardening — Harden- 
ing Thin  Disks — A  Welding  Kink — Hardening  Thick  Round 
Dies — Hardening  Springs — A  Substitute  for  Borax  in  Weld- 
ing—Hardening Poor  Steel — To  Anneal  Doubtful  Steel — An- 
nealing in  Bean  Water — Bluing  Bright  Steel  Sheet-metal  Blanks 
— Machining  Mild-steel  Forgings — Laying  Out  Dies — Cutting 
Aluminum — Softening  Chilled  Cast-iron  Dies  for  Drilling — 
Hints  and  Suggestions  as  to  the  Proper  Method  of  Using  Files 
— Convexity  in  Files — Files  Properly  Handled — Devices  for 
Holding  Files — Bent  Rifflers — An  Improved  Surface  File  Holder 
— Height  of  Work — Grasping  the  File — Carrying  the  File — First 
Use  of  a  File — Draw-filing — Preparing  Work — Pickling  the 
Work— When  Oil  Should  not  be  Used— When  Oil  May  be  Used 
— Cleaning  the  File — Care  in  Putting  Away  Files 304  to  329 

CHAPTER  XII. 

MISCELLANEOUS     DIES,,     PRESSES,     FIXTURES,     DEVICES     AND     SPECIAL    ARRANGE- 
MENTS   FOR    SHEET     METAL    WORKING. 

Artistic  Die-making — Dies  for  Punching  Leather  Shoe  Tips — A 
Cheap  Grinder  for  Round  Dies — A  Compressed-air  Drop  Ham- 
mer for  Making  Sheet-metal  Caskets — A  Special  Blanking  and 
Piercing  Die — The  Cutting  of  Armature  Disks — The  Cut- 
ting of  Armature  Segments — A  Multiple  Piercing  and 
Projecting  Punch  and  Die — Drawing  and  Punching  Con- 
tinuous Strips  of  Hemispheres — Watch  and  Clock  Makers' 
Power  Press  for  Sub-press  Work — An  Automatic  Trim- 
ming Machine — A  Beading  Machine — A  Double-head  Crimp- 
ing Machine — Hand  Bending  Fixtures — A  Combination  Blank- 
ing Die  for  Heavy  Stock— Tool  Holder  and  Tools— Self- 
Hardening  Steel — Rules  for  Calculating  the  Speed  of  Power 
Presses  ,  330  to  372 


. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  CONSTRUCTION  AND  USE  OF  "SINGLE"  OR  BLANKING  DIES,  AND 
"DOUBLE"  OR  PIERCING  AND  BLANKING  DIES. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


In  this,  the  opening  chapter,  we  will  illustrate  and  describe 
dies  which,  if  adopted,  will  supersede  processes  for  the  produc- 
tion of  metal  parts  which  are  now  obsolete  in  a  large  number 
of  machine  manufacturing  establishments.  The  only  reason  for 
their  non-adoption  in  other  establishments  is  that  their  applica- 
tion and  use  are  not  understood.  In  such  shops,  where  these 
strictly  up-to-date  methods  are  not  being  used,  special  tools  and 
fixtures  are  being  constantly  designed  and  constructed  for  the 
machining  and  finishing  of  metal  parts  by  milling,  drilling  or 
other  means,  which  could  be  accomplished  in  half  the  time  by 
means  of  dies  of  simple  and  most  inexpensive  construction,  in 
the  power  press.  Aside  from  the  reduced  cost  of  production, 
the  lightness,  interchangeability,  and  fine  finished  appearance 
of  sheet-metal  blanks  add  greatly  to  the  appearance  of  the 
machines  to  which  they  are  attached,  and  in  many  cases  improve 
the  working  qualities  as  well. 

Let  any  manager  of  an  establishment  which  does  not  number 
a  power  press  or  two  among  its  machine  tools  stroll  through  his 
shop  with  a  power  press  catalogue  in  his  hand  and  he  will  not 
go  far  before  realizing  that  he  is  paying  for  a  lot  of  unnecessary 
work.  After  finishing  his  inspection  he  will  lose  no  time  in 
placing  an  order  for  a  power  press,  and  his  toolmakers  will  be 
kept  busy  for  some  time  constructing  sets  of  blanking,  piercing, 
bending,  shearing  and  finishing  dies  to  take  the  place  of  expen- 
sive milling,  drilling  and  polishing  fixtures. 

Steel. 

In  no  branch  of  the  machinist's  art  should  more  attention  be 
given  to  the  importance  of  the  proper  selection  of  steel  than  in 
die  making,  as  the  working  qualities  of  the  tools  when  finished 


l8  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

and  their  efficiency  depend  upon  this  more  than  anything  else. 

When  ordering  steel  which  is  to  be  used  for  dies  be  sure  to 
specify  that  annealed  steel  is  wanted,  as  the  saving  of  time  and 
labor  in  the  working  of  it  and  the  results  in  the  hardening  and 
tempering  of  the  finished  tools  will  be  a  source  of  gratification 
to  the  die-maker.  When  these  results  are  considered  the  slight 
extra  cost  of  annealed  steel  is  insignificant. 

As  to  the  grade  of  steel  to  use ;  be  sure  to  get  a  good  grade, 
and  as  there  are  several  brands  of  steel  on  the  market  which  are 
used  principally  for  dies  and  punches  no  difficulty  should  be 
experienced  in  procuring  a  grade  or  brand  which  will  prove 
suitable  for  any  special  class  of  work. 

When  steel  forgings  are  required  the  job  should  be  given  to 
a  smith  who  understands  this  branch  of  his  art,  as  in  order  for 
the  forgings  to  machine  well  and  allow  of  being  hardened  and 
tempered  as  desired,  so  that  the  finished  tools  will  accomplish 
the  required  results,  the  smith  must  understand  such  work. 

The  Construction  of  a  Simple  Punch  and  Die. 

During  a  long  experience  in  the  making  of  dies  the  author 
has  come  to  know  of  a  number  of  different  methods  for  con- 
structing single  blanking  dies,  and  double  or  piercing  and  blank- 
ing dies.  Every  one  of  these  methods  has  possessed  some  little 
kink  or  way  by  which  the  desired  results  might  be  accomplished 
in  a  manner  superior  to  other  methods.  So  after  getting  together 
the  best  and  most  practical  kinks  and  ways  of  all  methods,  the 
method  of  construction  here  described  and  illustrated  has  been 
evolved. 

The  Bolster. 

Before  taking  up  the  description  of  the  die,  we  will  devote 
a  short  space  to  the  die-block  or  bolster.  Although  these  bolsters 
are  made  in  a  variety  of  shapes  and  sizes,  the  one  shown  in  Fig. 
I  is  of  a  type  most  generally  used  for  fastening  and  locating  the 
kind  of  die  indicated.  A  number  of  different  styles  of  bolsters 
for  blanking  and  piercing  dies  are  shown  in  Figs.  2  to  5.  A 
large  number  of  shops,  which  make  dies  for  their  own  use,  make 
a  bolster  with  each  die,  so  as  to  leave  the  die  permanently  within 
it.  But  for  economy,  where  dies  of  an  average  shape  and  size 
are  used,  two  or  three  are  all  that  are  required.  When  a  num- 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE   OF    BLANKING   DIES.  19 

ber  of  dies  are  kept  in  action  all  the  time,  or  at  the  same  time, 
then,  of  course,  each  die  must  have  a  separate  bolster. 


FIG.  I. — THE  BOLSTER. 


In  the  preparation  and  machining  of  the  bolster,  first  a  cut 
should  be  taken  off  the  top  and  bottom,  and  then  a  finishing  cut 


FIGS.    2    TO   5. — TYPES   OF   BOLSTERS. 


20 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


off  the  bottom,  after  which  the  face  or  die  seat  may  be  planed 
to  an  angle  of  10  degrees,  as  shown,  this  being  a  standard  taper 
for  die  blanks  among  die-makers.  The  slots  C  C  are  cast  in  the 
position  shown,  in  width  sufficient  to  allow  of  clearance  sideways 
for  the  fastening  bolts  with  which  it  is  afterward  secured  to  the 
press.  The  hole  D,  in  the  center  of  the  bolster,  should  be  large 
enough  for  the  largest  blank,  from  the  set  of  dies  which  are  to 
be  used  in  the  bolster,  to  drop  through  after  being  punched. 

The  Die  Blank. 

In  Figs.  6,  7  and  8  are  shown  a  double  punch  and  die  used 

for  the  production  of  blanks  like 
Fig.  9;  this  die  is  of  a  type  in 
general  use.  The  punch  and  die 
consist  of  the  following  parts : 
The  punch  holder  or  stem  A,  of 
cast  iron,  the  punch  plate  or  pad 
B,  of  mild  steel,  the  blanking 


0 


0 


o    o 

o 


Plan 
View  of 

Die 


FIG.  6. 


FIG.  7. 


punch  C,  of  tool  steel,  the  piercing  punches  D,  of  the  same,  the 
stripper  and  gage  plates  E,  the  die  F,  of  tool  steel,  and  the  pilot 
pin  G.  The  shape  of  the  piece  to  be  produced  in  a  die  of  this  type 
may  be  any  circular  or  irregular  shape  desired,  as  the  method  of 
construction  here  shown  is  applicable  to  all,  excepting  when  the 
blank  to  be  produced  is  of  a  very  large  size  or  when  the  metal  to 
be  punched  is  very  thick. 

As  most  presses  in  which  punches  and  dies  of  this  type  are 
used  require  a  punch  holder  with  a  round  stem,  we  show  one 
of  this  sort.  When  machining  the  holder  great  care  must  be 
taken  to  get  the  working  surfaces  square  with  the  stem ;  the 
faces  of  the  punch  plate  and  stripper  plate  must  be  perfectly 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE    OF    BLANKING   DIES. 


21 


parallel.  When  planing  the  die  no  great  care  is  required,  as  it 
has  to  be  ground  after  hardening.  It  should  be  finished  with 
leveled  sides,  to  fit  the  bolster,  with  the  edges  of  the  face  smooth 
so  as  to  have  a  square  edge  from  which  to  lay  out  the  die. 

We  will  now  lay  the  punch  plate,  punch  holder  and  stripper 
plate  aside,  as  they  will  not  be  touched  until  the  die  proper  has 
been  finished. 

The  Templets. 

Now  in  order  to  lay  out  the  die  a  templet  or  master  blank  is 
required ;  this  should  be  made  from  sheet  steel  about  3-32  inch 
thick,  and  should  be  filed  and  finished  all  over  to  the  exact  shape 


End  View 


FIG.  9. — MALE  TEMPLET 


FIG.  8. 


FIG.    10. 


and  size  required.  The  two  holes  should  then  be  laid  out  in  the 
exact  location  desired  and  drilled  and  reamed  to  size.  Care  and 
accuracy  in  the  preparation  of  the  templet  are  necessary,  as  the 
quality  of  the  work  to  be  produced  depends  on  it.  Now  take  a 
piece  of,  say,  ^-inch  brass  rod  about  2^  inches  long,  and  solder 
one  end  of  it  to  the  back  of  the  templet  as  shown  in  Fig.  9.  The 
templet  is  now  complete  and  there  is  no  possibility  of  getting  the 
wrong  side  up. 

We  now  take  a  piece  of  soft  sheet  brass,  of  the  same  thick- 
ness as  the  templet,  and  bend  it  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  10, 
that  is  to  fit  across  and  over  the  face  of  the  die  with  the  bent 
ends  projecting  down  the  inclined  sides  of  the  die  about  5-16  inch. 


22  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

This  is  the  female  templet,  and  it  should  be  long  enough  to  allow 
of  its  being  worked  out  in  the  center  to  fit  the  male  templet,  Fig. 
9.  After  having  done  this  the  face  of  the  die  (which  should  be 
polished  with  a  rough  piece  of  emery  cloth)  should  be  "blue- 
stoned"  and  the  female  templet  placed  upon  it  in  the  proper 
position,  and  an  outline  of  the  blank  marked  through  it  on  the 
face  of  the  die  with  a  sharp  scriber.  We  now  remove  the  templet 
and  proceed  to  finish  the  blanking  die,  which  must  be  accom- 
plished by  working  the  blank  through  it. 

Working  the  Templet  Through  the  Die. 

To  work  a  templet  through  a  die  proceed  as  follows:  After 
the  surplus  stock  has  been  removed  by  drilling  holes  about  1-64 
inch  apart  around  the  inside  of  the  outline  and  drifting  it  out,  file 
through  from  the  back  to  within  a  shade  of  the  line.  Now  take 
the  male  templet  and,  holding  it  by  the  end  of  the  brass  rod, 
enter  it  into  the  die  from  the  back,  holding  it  as  parallel  as  pos- 
sible with  the  face  of  the  die.  By  holding  a  piece  of  white  paper 
in  front  of  the  die  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  die  touches  the 
templet  at  only  a  few  narrow  spots ;  take  a  lead  pencil  and  mark 
these  spots,  making  a  line  at  each  spot  as  long  as  the  surface 
touched.  Now  remove  the  templet  and  file  where  the  marks 
appear.  Keep  inserting  the  templet,  marking  the  spots  and  filing 
them  away,  and  in  a  surprisingly  short  time  the  templet  will  be 
even  with  the  face  of  the  die,  which  will  be  the  exact  shape  and 
size  desired,  fitting  the  templet  perfectly. 

There  are  a  great  many  dies  of  this  type  in  use  (which  are 
used  for  cutting  out  blanks  which  are  not  required  to  have 
smooth  sides)  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  finish  the  insides 
smoothly.  But  there  are  a  greater  number  in  which  the  finish  of 
the  blanks  with  smooth  sides  is  one  of  the  objects  sought.  In 
dies  for  producing  smooth  and  well-finished  blanks  the  insides 
should  be  finished  highly,  either  with  a  dead  smooth  file  or  a 
scraper. 

Giving  Clearance  to  the  Die. 

In  giving  clearance  to  a  die  a  few  things  must  be  considered 
in  order  to  decide  upon  the  proper  amount  to  give.  For  a  die 
which  will  only  be  used  to  produce  a  few  thousand  blanks 
excessive  clearance  should  be  given,  say,  five  degrees,  as  this 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE   OF    BLANKING   DIES.  23 

will  allow  of  the  die  being  finished  quickly.  In  dies  which  are 
to  produce  large  quantities  of  blanks,  and  in  which  the  blanks 
produced  are  required  to  be  of  approximately  the  same  size,  one 
degree  is  plenty.  In  giving  this  one  degree  of  clearance  to  the 
die  so  that  it  will  have  one  degree  of  clearance  all  the  way 
through,  the  holes  that  are  drilled  to  allow  of  removing  the 
surplus  stock  should  be  reamed  from  the  back  with  a  reamer 
of  about  the  taper  of  1-32  inch  to  I  inch  of  length.  The  reaming 
of  the  holes  when  constructing  a  blanking  die  will  save  a  vast 
amount  of  filing  and  the  giving  of  the  one  degree  of  clearance 
will  not  be  difficult. 

Locating  the  Piercing  Dies. 

The  next  step  in  the  construction  of  the  die  is  the  locating 
of  the  two  piercing  dies.  To  accomplish  this,  place  the  master 
blank  within  the  female  templet  and  clamp  it  to  the  face  of  the 
die  in  the  correct  position,  allowing  for  a  thickness  of  metal 
between  blanks.  We  now  take  a  center  drill,  which  fits  the  holes 
in  the  master  blank,  and  transfer  the  two  holes  through  it  to 
the  face  of  the  die ;  we  drill  these  holes  and  then  ream  them 
from  the  back  with  a  reamer  of  the  same  taper  as  the  one  used 
for  the  blanking  die.  After  the  holes  for  the  dowel  pins  and 
screws  by  which  the  stripper  and  gage  plates  are  to  be  fastened 
to  the  die  have  been  drilled  and  tapped,  and  the  hole  for  the 
stop  pin  located  and  drilled,  we  are  ready  to  harden  and  temper 
the  die. 

Hardening  a  Blanking  Die. 

In  order  to  harden  a  die  properly  great  care  should  be  taken ; 
first  in  the  heating  of  the  steel,  and  second  in  the  quenching. 
In  all  shops  where  dies,  or  other  tools  which  require  hardening, 
are  constructed,  a  gas  furnace  or  "muffler"  should  be  used  for 
heating  them.  But  when  a  "muffler"  is  not  handy  charcoal 
should  be  used.  After  a  good  clean  fire  has  been  built,  all  screw 
and  dowel  holes  in  the  die  should  be  plugged  with  fire  clay  or 
asbestos.  By  taking  these  precautions  the  tendency  of  the  steel 
to  crack  around  the  holes  is,  as  far  as  possible,  eliminated.  We 
now  heat  the  die  to  an  even  cherry  red,  so  that  the  entire  plate 
will  be  the  same  temperature;  then  remove  it  from  the  fire  and 
dip  it  endwise  into  the  water  (which  should  be  warmed  slightly 


24  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

to  take  the  chill  out),  being  careful  to  dip  down  straight,  and 
not  to  move  it  or  shake  it  around,  as  that  would  increase  the 
possibility  of  the  die  warping  or  shrinking  excessively.  After 
removing  the  die  from  the  water  it  should  be  immediately 
warmed.  Now  grind  the  face  of  the  die;  heat  a  thick  piece  of 
cast  iron  red  hot,  and  place  the  die  upon  it;  it  can  then  be 
drawn  evenly  to  any  temper  desired.  By  taking  a  piece  of  oily 
waste  and  wiping  the  face  of  the  die  as  it  is  heating  the  different 
colors  will  show  up  clear.  When  the  color  denoting  the  temper 
required  appears  remove  the  die  and  allow  it  to  cool  off  slowly. 

Making  the  Blanking  Punch. 

Now  for  the  blanking  punch :  Take  the  master  blank  or  male 
templet ;  remove  the  wire  rod  and  mark  the  spot  where  it  was 
attached,  so  as  to  know  the  back  from  the  front  of  the  blank. 
Then  solder  the  blank,  front  up,  to  one  end  of  the  piece  of  tool 
steel  which  is  to  be  used  for  the  blanking  punch.  The  punch 
can  now  be  machined,  either  in  the  shaper  or  the  milling  machine, 
so  that  its  entire  length  will  be  the  shape  of  the  blank,  finishing 
it  as  close  to  the  edge  of  the  blank  as  possible.  Now  heat  the 
sleel  slightly  and  the  blank  will  drop  off.  Clean  the  blank,  lay 
it  aside  and  proceed  to  fit  the  punch.  If  it  is  to  punch  very 
thin  stock  make  it  a  tight  fit  within  the  die;  if  for  heavy  stock, 
a  trifle  loose.  In  order  to  make  a  punch  a  perfect  fit  for  thin 
stock  the  edges  of  the  cutting  face  should  be  beveled  with  a 
file.  The  punch  should  then  be  sheared  through  the  die  in  the 
press  in  much  the  same  manner  as  a  broach  is  used,  being  careful 
to  have  it  in  perfect  alignment  with  the  die. 

Before  hardening  the  punch  it  is  necessary  to  locate  the  holes 
for  the  pilot  pins  G.  These  pins  are  necessary  in  order  to  pro- 
duce pierced  blanks  that  will  be  interchangeable.  Take  the 
master  blank,  enter  it  into  the  die  from  the  back  with  the  front 
up.  It  will  fit  the  die  tightly  because  of  the  shrinkage  in  harden- 
ing. Now  enter  the  blanking  punch  from  the  top  and  locate  the 
holes  for  the  pilot  pins  through  the  holes  in  the  blank  with  a 
centering  drill.  Drill  the  holes  to  size  and  harden  and  draw 
the  punch  to  the  temper  desired,  which  should  be  in  most  cases 
a  dark  blue.  In  tempering  the  punch  draw  it  from  the  back, 
allowing  the  temper  to  run  out  to  the  front;  thus  the  back  will 
be  almost  soft  while  the  remainder  will  be  as  hard  as  required. 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE   OF   BLANKING   DIES.  25 

The  drawing  of  the  punch  so  that  the  back  will  be  soft  is  done 
to  strengthen  it  and  also  to  allow  of  upsetting  it  when  locating 
it  within  the  punch  plate. 


Locating  the  Blanking  Punch  in  the  Punch  Plate. 

To  locate  the  punch  in  the  punch  plate,  take  the  plate  and 
clamp  it  true  on  the  face  of  the  die  and  transfer  the  outline  of 
the  blanking  die  to  the  face  of  the  plate.  Then  work  a  hole  of 
the  shape  of  this  outline  through  the  plate,  so  that  the  punch  can 
be  entered  face  first  through  from  the  back.  Then  place  both 
punch  and  plate  under  the  ram  of  the  press  and  set  the  punch 
dead  square  with  the  face  of  the  pad  and  proceed  to  force  it 
through,  using  the  punch  as  a  broach.  It  will  be  necessary 
to  repeat  this  operation  several  times  in  order  to  get  the  punch 
through  the  plate,  as  the  surplus  stock  curled  up  by  the  punch 
has  to  be  removed.  After  having  forced  the  punch  into  the 
pad  until  the  face  is  through,  force  it  back  and  out  again.  Now 
chamfer  the  edges  of  the  hole  at  the  back  of  the  pad  and  force 
the  punch  in  again,  until  the  back  is  a  shade  above  the  plate,  and 
upset  or  rivet  as  shown  and  finish  it  flat  with  the  plate ;  when 
this  is  done  there  will  be  no  danger  of  the  punch  pulling  out 
when  in  use. 

Locating  the  Piercing  Punches  in  the  Punch  Plate. 

To  locate  the  holes  for  the  piercing  punches,  enter  the  blank- 
ing punch  into  the  die  until  the  faces  of  the  punch  plate  and 
the  die  are  within  3-16  inch  of  each  other,  with  a  pair  of  parallels 
between  them.  Then  use  the  die  as  a  jig  and  locate  the  holes 
for  the  piercing  punches ;  spot  them  deeply.  With  a.  drill  about 
two  sizes  smaller  than  the  piercing  dies  drill  entirely  through 
the  punch  plate  and  then  ream  the  holes  to  size.  Use  the  die 
as  a  jig  for  all  three  operations. 

For  'the  two  piercing  punches  use  drill  rod  and  upset  the 
heads  before  hardening,  as  all  small  punches  should  be  hardened 
for  their  entire  length,  as  otherwise  they  would  bend  or  break. 
If  after  hardening  the  punches  are  found  to  have  sprung  they 
must  be  carefully  straightened  before  forcing  them  into  the 
punch  plate.  Fasten  the  punch  plate  to  the  cast  iron  holder  A, 
Avith  four  flat-head  screws  as  shown. 


26  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE.. 


Finishing  the  Die. 


All  holes  for  screws  and  dowels  in  the  stripper  and  gage 
plate  should  be  transferred  through  the  die.  The  holes  for  the 
two  piercing  punches  in  the  stripper  should  be  the  same  size 
as  the  dies,  as  by  fitting  tightly  the  punches  are  strengthened 
and  supported  while  piercing  the  metal. 

After  the  gage  plates  and  stripper  have  been  located  and 
fastened  upon  the  die  as  shown,  with  the  stop  pin  located  so 
that  its  locating  face  is  the  same  distance  from  the  edge  of  the 
blanking  die  as  the  width  of  surplus  stock  allowed  between  the 
blanks,  the  die  is  complete. 

If  the  method  of  construction  described  and  illustrated  in 
the  foregoing  is  properly  carried  out  there  will  never  be  any 
possibility  of  failure  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  desired  results. 

Fundamental  Points  to  be  Remembered. 

The  practical  points  to  be  remembered  when  constructing  a 
die  of  this  type  are  as  follows :  Be  sure  to  make  an  accurate 
pair  of  templets.  Machine  the  punch  holder  and  stripper  plate 
accurately.  Work  the  blank  through  the  die,  and  use  it  for 
locating  all  the  holes  for  the  pilot  pins  and  piercing  punches. 
Finish  the  die  before  starting  on  any  of  the  other  parts.  Trans- 
fer all  holes  in  the  punch  plate  through  the  die ;  and,  lastly,  be 
sure  to  have  the  front  of  the  master  blank  up  during  all  opera- 
tions in  which  it  is  used.  By  keeping  in  mind  these  practical 
points  a  punch  and  die  of  this  type  can  be  constructed  in  which 
the  alignment  between  all  parts  will  be  perfect. 

Setting  the  Die  and  Using  It. 

To  operate  the  die,  drive  the  die  proper  into  the  die  block 
or  bolster,  Fig.  I,  and  then  set  it  up  in  the  press.  The  proper 
way  to  set  a  die  of  this  kind  is  to  first  place  the  punch  within 
the  ram  of  the  press  and  fasten  it  there.  The  punch  should  then 
be  brought  down  until  the  faces  are  within  ^  inch  of  the  die 
face.  Then,  using  the  left  hand  through  the  press  bolster,  the 
die  should  be  raised  up  until  all  punches  have  entered  it.  The 
punch  should  then  be  brought  down  about  5-16  inch  and  the  die 
will  rest  squarely  on  the  press  bolster  in  perfect  alignment  with 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE    OF    BLANKING    DIES. 


Fig.  1— Dish  Pan 


Fig.  8-Lard  Pail 


Figs.  5  and  6  Fig.  7— Coffee  Boiler 

Dipper  Handles 


Fig.  ft— Dipper 
Bowl 


Fig.  16— Scoop 


Figs.  14  and  15— Tea  and 

Coffee  Pot  Spouts  Fig  18_Dish  pan 

Handle 


o 


Fig.  10— Scoop  Body 


Fig' 


Fig.  17— Scoop  Band 


Fig.  1&— Cup  Handle 


Fig,  20— Cup  Handle 


Figs.  21  and  22— Coffee  Fig.  23— Saucepan 

Boiler  Lips  Handle  Fig.  24— Coffee  Pot  Handle 

FIG.   II. — DIAGRAMS  OF   BLANKS  FROM    CUTTING   DIES. 


28  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

the  punch.     Now  fasten  the  die  to  the  press  bolster  and  give  it 
a  rap  with  a  hammer  at  either  end  to  set  it;  then  go  ahead. 

The  stock  to  be  punched  should  be  entered  beneath  the 
stripper  and  pushed  up  against  the  stop  pin.  At  the  first  stroke 
of  the  press  the  two  holes  are  pierced  and  a  scrap  blank  punched 
out.  Now  feed  the  stock  forward  until  the  back  edge  of  the 
blanked  hole  rests  against  the  stop  pin,  and  at  the  next  stroke 
as  the  punch  descends  the  pilot  pins  in  the  blanking  punch  will 
enter  the  holes  pierced  at  the  first  stroke  and  a  blank  will  be 
produced  which  will  be  an  exact  duplicate  of  the  master  blank. 
The  stock  may  then  be  fed  along  until  the  entire  strip  has  been 
worked  up. 

A  Plain  Blanking  Die. 

When  a  plain  blanking  die  is  desired,  to  produce  blanks  of 
any  circular  or  irregular  shape  such  as  the  smaller  ones  shown 
in  Fig.  n,  the  description  given  herein  for  the  construction  of 


PLAN  OF  PUNCH 


PLAIN  BLANKING 
PUNCH  AND  DIE 


SECTION  OF  STOCK 

SHOWING 
HOW  TO  SAVE  METAL 


FIG.   12. 


FIG.  14. 


the  blanking  die  and  punch  portions  of  Figs.  6  to  8  should  b( 
followed,  and  instead  of  making  two  templets  make  only  one— 
the  male. 

As  shown,  plain  blanking  dies  of  the  class  shown  in  Figs 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE    OF    BLANKING    DIES. 


12  and  15  are  very 
produce  blanks  of 
shape  from  tin,  iron,  steel, 
aluminum,  brass,  copper, 
zinc,  silver,  paper,  leather, 
cloth,  etc.  In  Figs.  12  and 
15,  K  is  the  punch  holder  or 
stem,  I  the  punch  plate,  H  the 
punch  which  is  let  into  the 
punch  plate  and  upset  at  the 
back,  as  shown.  The  punch 
plate  is  fastened  to  the  holder 
face  by  four  flat-head  screws 
J  J  J  J.  The  die  A  is  worked 
out  at  B  and  finished  to  temp- 
let, C  is  the  stop  pin,  F  F  the 
two  gage  plates,  and  G  the 
stripper  plate  fastened  and  lo- 
cated by  the  four  screws  D 
and  the  two  dowels  E  E.  All 
plain  blanking  dies  for  punch- 
ing stock  up  to  3-16  inch  thick 
should  be  constructed  like 
this  one. 


simple  in  construction, 
any    flat 


They  are  used  to 


PLAN  OF  PUNCH 


m ^_^_m 


FRONT  VIEW  OF  PUNCH,  AND  VERTICAL 
CROSS-SECTION  OF  DIE 


FIG.  15. 


Dies  for  Large  Blanks. 

Blanking  or  cutting  dies  for  punching  out  large  blanks  from 
comparatively  thin  stock  are  made  in  almost  every  shape  and 
size  for  cutting  all  kinds  of  metal.  A  number  of  different  shapes 
and  sizes  are  shown  in  Figs.  16  and  17,  and  a  set  of  blanks 
produced  in  dies  of  this  construction  are  shown  in  Fig.  18.  This 
class  of  dies  consists  of  an  upper  or  "male"  die,  commonly  called 
the  punch,  and  a  lower  or  "female"  die,  rightly  called  the  die. 
As  a  rule  the  female  die  is  hardened  and  tempered  to  the  degree 
best  suited  for  the  stock  to  be  punched,  while  the  male  die,  or 
punch,  is  left  soft,  so  that  it  can  be  upset  at  the  cutting  edges 
when  worn,  so  that  blanks  may  be  produced  which  will  be  free 
from  burrs  and  fins.  The  cutting  edges  of  dies  of  this  class 
are  always  sheared,  the  size  of  the  blank  and  circumstances 
determining  the  amount  of  shear  to  be  given.  For  punching- 


3° 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


blanks  from  thin  stock  such  as  tin,  brass,  iron,  etc.,  a  moderate 
amount  of  shear  will  give  the  best  results,  while  for  heavy  stock 
a  greater  amount  must  be  given.  These  dies  are  usually  made 


o 


PLAN  OF  DIE, 

SHOWING  BEVELED  EDGES  WITH  A 

HARROW  MARGIN  AROUND  THE 

CUTTING  EDGE  TO 
FACILITATE  GRINDING 


FIG.    1 6. — BLANKING   DIE    CONSTRUCTED   FROM   FORCINGS  - 

from  forgings  and  the  finest  work  in  this  line  that  we  know  of 
is  done  in  the  shops  of  E.  W.  Bliss  Co.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where 
probably  more  dies  are  constructed  than  in  any  other  shop  in  the 


FIG.  17. — "BLANKING"  OR  "CUTTING"  DIES. 


world.  They  make  their  large  cutting  dies  by  first  welding  steel 
cutting  rings,  which  have  been  first  forged  to  somewhere  near  the 
desired  shape,  to  wrought-iron  bases  or  plates.  These  bases  are 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE   OF    BLANKING   DIES.  3! 


Figs.  25,  26  and  27 
Stove  Pipe  Elbow 


Fig.  38— Dripping  Pan 


Fig.  34— Notch  for 
Dripping  Pan 


Fig.  39— Table  Spoon 
Fig.  40— Tea  Spoon 


Fig.  47 
Writing  Machine  Lever 


;  Coal  Hod  Blanks 


Fig.  29— Body  (One  Piece) 


Fig.  32 
Back  Handle 


Fig.  35 
Rim  (Two  Pieces) 


Fig.  37 
Dust  Pan  Handle 


Fig.  41— End  Piece 
Deep  Bread  Pan 


Fig.  43 
Funnel  Body 


Fig.  31— Front 


Fig.  38— Dust  Pan 


Fig.  42— Side  Piece 
Deep  Bread  Pan 


Fig.  44— Measure  Body 


Fig.  45 
Fig.  48— Cash  Register  Lever  Measure  Handle  Fig.  46— Measure  Lip 


FIG.   l8.— DIAGRAMS   OF  BLANKS   FROM    CUTTING  DIES. 


32  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

then  planed  and  the  die  machined  to  almost  the  finish  size 
and  the  cutting  edges  beveled,  as  shown,  on  upright  milling 
machines.  The  templets  are  then  fitted  to  the  dies  by  filing, 
after  which  the  faces  are  sheared  and  the  dies  hardened.  The 
cutting  faces  are  then  ground  on  special  machinery  and  a  number 
of  bent  pins  located  around  the  die  to  act  as  strippers  when  the 
die  is  in  use.  For  punching  heavy  or  thick  sheet  iron,  steel,  brass 
and  other  heavy  stock  they  harden  both  male  and  female  dies, 
drawing  the  male  somewhat  lower  than  the  female,  and  provide 
them  with  stripping  plates  and  construct  the  dies  somewhat  dif- 


SPECIAL  BLANK 


FIG.   19. — BLANKS  FROM   PIERCING   AND   BLANKING  DIES. 


ferently  from  those  used  for  thin  stock.     A  set  of  these  dies  are 
shown  in  Figs.  20  to  22. 

The  Use  of  a  Power  Press. 

In  shops  in  which  a  power  press  has  not  as  yet  found  a  place, 
and  where  it  is  thought  that  one  or  a  few  could  be  used  to  ad- 
vantage, the  management  should  write  press  manufacturers  fully, 
describing  the  work  to  be  done.  If  a  new  article  is  to  be  manu- 
factured, which  can  be  produced  to  the  best  advantage  by  means 
of  suitable  dies  in  the  power  press,  a  sample  of  the  work  or  an 
exact  drawing  of  the  same  should  be  submitted  to  the  manu- 
facturers of  such  tools.  As  very  often  the  shape,  size  or  general 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE    OF    BLANKING   DIES.  33 

construction  of  such  parts  are  modified,  before  the  articles  are 
manufactured  in  large  quantities,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that 
such  points  should  be  settled  before  placing  an  order  for  a  set 
of  tools  for  their  production,  as  otherwise,  if  a  slight  alteration 
is  made  in  the  parts  afterward,  it  will  involve  considerable  al- 
teration in  the  tools. 

In  sheet-metal  goods  establishments  the  chief  desire  is  the 
increasing  of  the  daily  production  of  the  presses  and  tools,  and 
this  object  can  only  be  attained  by  keeping  the  presses  con- 
stantly producing  parts  of  the  same  shape  and  size  and  using  the 
presses  which  are  best  adapted  to  the  work.  In  small  establish- 


FIG.   20. — PUNCH   AND   DIE   WITH   STRIPPER. 


ments,  or  in  machine  shops  where  only  a  given  number  of  parts 
of  sheet-metal  of  the  same  shape  and  size  are  required  at  inter- 
vals, a  press  should  be  used  which  will  take  in  a  wide  range  of 
work  of  widely  varying  dimensions,  thus  allowing  the  production 
of  a  large  variety  of  sheet-metal  articles  and  parts  with  one 
press  and  different  sets  of  tools,  which  in  the  larger  establish- 
ments require  a  number  of  presses  of  different  sizes. 

When  a  press  is  to  be  used  exclusively  for  punching,  before 
ordering  particular  attention  should  be  given  to  the  thickness  of 
the  material  to  be  punched,  the  size  and  number  of  holes  and 
their  relative  position  to  each  other.  If  parts  are  to  be  produced 
in  which  more  than  one  hole  is  to  be  pierced,  their  position  in 
the  sheet  must  be  determined.  By  giving  the  maximum  dimen- 


34 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


sions  of  the  above  a  press  of  the  reauired  strength  and  depth  of 
throat  will  be  obtained. 

Open  Back  Presses. 

The  best  style  of  press  to  use  for  general  work,  wherever  pos- 
sible, is  the  "open  back"  style,  as  the  advantages  of  a  press  of 
such  construction  over  those  with  a  solid  back  are  numerous. 
First,  instead  of  having  the  crank  on  one  end  of  the  shaft,  it  is 


PLAN  OF  PUNCH 


WROUGHT  IRON  AND  TOOL  STEEL  FORGING 


VERTICAL  SECTION  OF  DIE  WITH  STRIPPER 

FIG.    21. — PUNCH   AND   DIE   FOR.   CUTTING  HEAVY  STOCK. 


supported  by  journals  on  each  side  which  prevents  the  shaft 
from  springing  and  wearing  unevenly ;  second,  the  opening  at  the 
back,  admitting  plenty  of  light,  makes  an  accurate  adjustment  of 
the  dies  possible  without  trouble  on  the  part  of  the  operator  when 
setting  them;  lastly,  where,  in  a  "solid  back"  press  the  balance 
wheel  is  at  the  back,  and  thereby  out  of  reach  of  the  operator 
when  setting  the  dies,  in  the  "open  back"  press  it  is  on  the  right 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE   OF    BLANKING   DIES. 


35 


side  and  within  easy  reach,  thus  enabling  the  operator  to  revolve 
it  with  his  right  hand  while  he  is  setting  the  tools  with  his  left. 

Lining  Up  and  Leveling  a  Power  Press. 

Line  up  and  level  a  power  press  as  you  would  any  other  ma- 
chine tool  from  which  satisfactory  results  are  desired,  and  fasten 
it  securely  to  the  floor.  The  position  of  the  press  in  relation  to 


PLAN  OF  PUNCH 

BLANKING  PUNCH 


PIERCING  PUNCH 
HOLDER,  A  WROUGHT  IRON  FORGING 


FIG.  22. — PUNCH   AND   DIB   FOR   PIERCING  AND    CUTTING 
HEAVY   STOCK. 


the  driving  shaft  should  be  such  as  to  allow  of  using  a  straight 
belt  and  having  the  balance  wheel  run  toward  the  operator,  and 
thus  the  belt  can  be  thrown  off  and  slipped  on  again  without 
trouble.  The  gib  screws  for  adjusting  the  fit  of  the  ram  should 
not  be  very  tight,  for  if  they  are  there  will  be  undue  friction  on 
the  strap — a  clicking  sound  of  the  clutch  will  warn  the  operator 
of  this. 


36  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

The  diameter  of  the  pulley  on  the  driving  shaft  should  be 
large  enough  to  allow  the  press  to  be  speeded  according  to  the 
directions  given  by  the  manufacturer.  When  setting  the  dies 
throw  the  belt  off  the  driving  pulley  and  set  the  die  according  to 
the  directions  given  herein  under  "Setting  and  Using  the  Die." 


FIG.  23. — A  POWER  PRESS  FOR  PRODUCING  SMALL  OR  MEDIUM 
SIZED  BLANKS,  EQUIPPED  WITH  AN  AUTOMATIC  ADJUSTABLE 
STOP  OR  FINGER  GAGE. 


Allow  the  punch  to  enter  the  die  just  far  enough  to  do  the  work 
required  and  no  further.  Have  the  operator  locate  all  oil  holes 
and  see  that  he  oils  all  parts  regularly.  Lastly  do  not  allow 
everybody  to  take  a  turn  at  running  the  press ;  have  a  man  or  a 


THE    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE   OF   BLANKING   DIES.  37 

bright  boy  to  run  it  and  keep  him  at  it,  and  there  will  then  be 
very  little  probability  of  finger  clipping. 

Using  the  Proper  Tools. 

When  in  doubt  as  to  the  best  press  or  classes  of  tools  to  use 
for  a  special  job,  write  to  manufacturers  or  experts  who  make  a 
specialty  of  such  tools.  It  is  often  possible  to  have  dies  made  in 
their  establishments  at  a  lower  cost  to  the  buyer  than  if  they  were 
constructed  in  his  own  tool  room;  because,  where  the  foreman 
or  toolmakers  might  understand  the  construction  of  one  type  of 
dies  which  would  do  the  work  required,  the  specialist  will  under- 
stand a  number  of  different  types,  and  he  will  choose  the  one 
which  will  be  at  once  the  cheapest  and  the  best.  What  is  more, 
there  will  be  no  guess  work  about  it. 

For  the  production  of  small  and  medium  sized  parts,  a  press 
of  the  design  and  construction  shown  in  Fig.  23  will  be  found  to 
meet  all  requirements.  In  connection  with  a  press  of  this  type  a 
"finger  gage  attachment"  or  automatic  stop-pin  may  be  used 
wherever  the  nature  of  the  work  will  allow  it.  As  shown  in  the 
engraving,  the  attachment  consists  of  an  adjustable  stop,  resting 
with  its  pointed  end  on  the  face  of  the  die,  from  which  it  is  auto- 
matically raised  after  each  stroke,  allowing  the  metal  to  be  fed 
forward  for  the  next  stroke.  By  dropping  back  at  the  proper 
time  into  the  hole  last  punched,  it  acts  as  an  accurate  gage  with- 
out impeding  the  progress  of  the  stock. 

Dies  of  the  types  shown  and  described  in  this  chapter  should 
prove  adaptable  for  the  rapid  and  cheap  production  of  a  large 
variety  of  sheet  metal  parts.  The  methods  of  construction  given 
cover  all  plain  or  single  blanking  dies,  and  double  or  piercing 
and  blanking  dies  used  in  the  general  run  of  sheet-metal  work. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE. 

In  this  chapter  are  shown  a  number  of  dies  that  are  invaluable 
for  use  in  the  average  machine  shop — especially  in  the  jobbing 
shop.  The  dies  shown  are  the  most  simple  and  inexpensive  of 
their  class  for  producing  work  of  the  kind  indicated. 

An  Emergency  Die. 

The  first  die,  shown  in  Fig.  24,  is  known  among  die-makers 
as  an  ''Emergency  Die,"  that  is — a  punch  and  die  for  producing 


B  B 

FIG.  24. — EMERGENCY  DIE  AND  BLANK. 

a  small  number  of  blanks  of  a  given  shape  and  size,  of  which  the 
blank  shown  in  Fig.  25  is  a  type.  The  die  A  is  made  from  a 
piece  of  5-16  inch  flat  tool  steel,  planed  and  fitted  to  bolster,  with 
the  shape  of  the  blank  worked  out  at  B  B.  In  dies  of  this  type, 
when  only  a  small  number  of  blanks  are  to  be  punched,  the  clear- 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE. 


39 


ance  or  taper  of  the  die,  from  the  cutting  edge,  should  be  con- 
siderable, as  the  more  clearance  given,  the  less  labor  and  skill 
required  to  finish.  Allow  the  master  blank  to  just  fit  the  die  at 
the  cutting  edge,  and  then  draw  and  harden  the  die. 

The  punch  consists  of  the  cast  iron  holder  C,  and  the  punch 
D;  a  piece  of  %-inch  flat  tool  steel,  which  is  worked  out  to 
shape  and  sheared  through  the  die  and  left  soft.  It  is  then  hard 
soldered  to  the  face  of  the  holder  C  as  shown,  and  the  punch  and 
die  are  complete. 

For  punching  blanks  from  thin  stock  to  the  number  of  100  to 
2,000,  a  die  of  this  type  will  prove  all  right,  and  although  some 
may  say  "a  botch  job,"  the  results  will  be  found  to  be  all  that 
can  be  desired.  This  style  of  die  is  used  universally  in  almost  all 
of  the  fancy  sheet  metal  goods  houses,  as  the  number  of  differ- 


FIG.    25. — PLAN   OF  EMERGENCY  DIE. 

ent  shapes  and  the  small  quantities  required  necessitate  the  elim- 
ination of  all  unnecessary  expense  in  the  production  of  the  same. 

A  Shearing  Die  for  Finishing  Heavy  Blanks. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  26  is  known  as  a  shearing 
or  finishing  die  for  heavy  blanks,  and  it  may  be  used  for  finishing- 
work  that  is  often  finished  in  the  milling  machine,  or  by  grinding. 
The  blank  finished  in  this  die  is  shown  in  Fig.  27.  It  is  a  small 
wrench  punched  from  7-32-inch  mild  steel.  In  the  punching  of 
heavy  stock  the  punch  is  always  fitted  very  loosely  to  the  die, 
with  the  result  that  the  blanks  produced  are  generally  concave  at 
the  edges,  and  have  a  ragged  appearance  where  they  have  cut 
away  from  the  rest  of  the  stock.  To  remove  these  defects  and 
marks,  the  blanks  should  be  sheared  through  a  finishing  die  like 


4o 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


the  one  shown  in  Fig.  n,  when  by  trimming  or  cutting  off  a  shav- 
ing of  stock  all  around  the  blanks,  they  are  left  smooth  and  have 
the  appearance  of  having  been  milled. 

In  making  a  die  of  the  finishing  type,  one  of  the  blanks  that 


FIGS.    26   AND   27. — BLANK,    AND    SHEARING   PUNCH   AND   DIE. 

has  been  punched  is  taken  and  filed  and  finished  all  around  the 
edges,  removing  about  .003  of  stock  all  around.  The  blank  is 
then  used  as  a  templet  in  finishing  the  die  F,  letting  it  through 
from  the  back  and  filing  the  die  straight,  giving  it  just  the  least 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE.  4! 

clearance  possible  and  having  the  templet  a  tight  fit  at  the  cutting 
edge.  The  inside  of  the  die  is  then  polished  as  smooth  as  possible 
at  G,  and  then  filed  taper,  downward  from  H.  As  shown,  I  is 
the  gage  plate  which  is  worked  out  to  allow  of  the  rough  blank 
fitting  nicely  within  it.  This  plate  is  fastened  and  located  upon 
the  face  of  the  die  accurately,  by  the  screws  J  J,  and  the  dowels 
K  K,  so  that  the  blank  will  rest  on  the  face  of  the  die  I,  with  an 
equal  margin  for  trimming  all  around.  Great  care  should  be 
taken  to  locate  this  gage  plate  in  its  proper  position,  as  the 
small  amount  of  stock  to  be  trimmed  from  the  blanks  will  not 
allow  of  much  leeway.  The  die  should  be  carefully  hardened  and 
drawn  to  a  very  light  straw  temper,  and  the  face  ground  and 
oilstoned,  so  that  the  cutting  edge  will  be  as  sharp  as  possible. 

The  punch  is  constructed  in  the  same  manner  as  the  blanking 
punch  shown  in  Chapter  I,  L  being  the  holder,  M  the  pad  and 
N  the  punch.  The  punch  N  is  sheared  through  the  die  to  a  snug 
fit  within  it,  after  which  it  is  highly  polished  and  left  soft.  When 
using  the  die,  the  blank  Fig.  27  is  placed  within  the  gage  plate  L ; 
the  punch  descends  and  it  is  sheared  into  the  die  F  at  G,  trim- 
ming and  finishing  it  all  around.  If  the  die  has  been  highly  pol- 
ished the  results  produced  will  be  as  good  as  if  the  blanks  were 
finished  in  a  milling  machine  or  by  more  expensive  means. 

Burnishing  Dies. 

There  is  a  large  number  of  different  small  pieces  which  are 
in  great  demand  in  the  average  machine  shop,  which,  when  the 
quantity  permits,  could  be  finished  at  a  greatly  reduced  cost  by  a 
die  of  this  type.  When  a  high  finish  or  polish  is  desired,  the 
blanks  should  be  forced  through  another  die,  in  construction  the 
same 'as  the  first,  except  that  it  should  taper  slightly  from  the 
cutting  edge,  and  be  about  .002  smaller  at  the  back  than  at  the 
cutting  edge.  This  die  should  also  be  highly  polished  and  left 
very  hard.  In  forcing  the  blank  through  this  die  the  metal 
around  the  edge  is  compressed  and  then  polished  by  the  friction 
as  the  smaller  part  is  passed  through.  Blanks  treated  in  this 
manner  have  the  appearance  of  having  been  polished  or  buffed. 
A  die  of  this  type  is  called  a  burnishing  die,  and  it  is  a  "hummer" 
for  rapid  and  cheap  production. 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


Die  for  Finishing  Holes  in  Heavy  Stock. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  29,  although  of  the  simplest 
construction,  is  a  great  tool  for  accomplishing  by  inexpensive 
means  results  that  usually  require  considerable  time  and  cost  to 
produce.  It  is  used  for  finishing  square  holes  that  have  been 
punched  in  the  strip  of  flat  5-i6-inch  machine  steel  shown  in 
Fig.  30.  The  upper  view  shows  the  holes  after  the  first  opera- 
tion, and  the  lower  view,  th«  appearance  after  being  finished. 
Of  course  they  could  be  finished  by  broaching,  but  the  means 
shown  here  are  best  by  a  long  shot.  After  the  holes  have  been 

i^r — 7m 


Punch 


Stripper 


FIG.    29. — FINISHING  AND  SIZING  HOLES   IN   HEAVY  STOCK. 

punched,  their  edges  are  uneven  and  ragged  and,  as  they  are 
left  about  .003  smaller  than  the  required  size,  this  punch  and  die 
are  used  to  square,  polish  and  size  them. 

The  punch  S  is  machined  in  the  miller  to  a  perfect  square  of 
the  size  to  which  the  holes  are  to  be  finished,  that  is  .003  larger 
than  the  punched  holes.  After  being  polished,  the  face  is  finished 
dead  square  and  the  edges  left  sharp ;  it  .is  then  hardened  and 
drawn  slightly  and  the  face  oilstoned.  The  die  P  is  then  made 
and  worked  out  until  the  face  of  the  punch  can  be  entered.  It 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE. 


43- 


is  then  used  as  a  broach  and  forced  into  and  through  the  dier 
finishing  it  to  an  exact  duplicate  of  its  shape.  The  die  is  then 
filed  taper  from  the  back,  and  left  straight  for  about  5-16  inch 
from  the  cutting  edge.  The  edges  of  the  punch  are  then  rounded 
so  that  it  will  enter  the  holes  easily.  The  stripper  Q  is  of  j£- 
inch  flat  machine  steel,  with  a  channel  milled  down  through  the 
center,  in  depth  and  width  sufficient  to  allow  of  the  strip  of  stock 
in  which  the  holes  are  punched  to  pass  through  it  freely  without 
side  play.  A  small  pin  projecting  above  the  die  P,  at  the  left 
acts  as  a  .gage  for  locating  the  stock  in  position. 

When  in  use  the  strip  of  stock  is  entered  beneath  the  stripper 
with  the  first  hole  under  the  punch.  The  punch  descends  and 
enters  the  hole,  gradually  compresses  the  sides  and  finishes  it,. 


Before 


After 


FIG.    30. — THE   WORK. 


leaving  a  dead  square  hole  with  a  smooth  finish  on  all  sides. 
The  punch  shown  should  enter  the  work  for  a  full  inch  of  its 
length.  This  type  of  die  can  be  used  for  finishing  a  large  variety 
of  different  shaped  holes  in  heavy  iron  or  mild  steel,  where  they 
are  all  required  to  be  the  same  shape  and  size.  By  using  the 
means  shown,  the  holes  have  a  finish  that  it  would  be  impractical 
to  accomplish  by  other  means. 

A  Curling  Die  for  a  Hinge. 

In  Figs.  31  and  33,  respectively,  are  shown  two  dies  called 
curling  dies,  accomplishing,  as  they  do,  the  curling  of  sheet 
metal.  The  one  shown  in  Fig.  31  is  for  curling  the  hinge,  Fig. 
32,  while  the  one  in  Fig.  33  is  for  curling  a  flat  piece  of  metal  into 


44 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


the  form  of  a  tube  as  shown  in  Fig.  34,  in  which  is  shown  the 
metal  before  and  after  curling. 

These  dies,  although  simple  in  design  and  construction,  are 
required  to  be  accurately  made  in  order  to  work  well ;  there  are 
several  points  in  each  where  close  work  is  necessary  for  rapid 
and  first-class  production.  In  the  hinge  die,  Fig.  31,  the  punch 
holder  V,  is  turned  and  faced  and  a  dovetailed  channel  let  into 


FIG.    31. — A   HINGE-CURLING   PUNCH   AND   DIE. 

the  face  to  admit  the  tool  steel  punch  U,  which  is  worked  out 
and  fitted  to  the  holder,  as  shown,  and  a  slot  milled  down  the 
face  to  an  angle  of  45  degrees.  It  is  hardened  and  drawn  to  a 
light  temper  and  driven  into  the  holder  V.  The  die  consists 
of  the  bolster  W,  and  the  die  X,  which  is  located  as  shown. 
After  the  radius  to  which  the  hinge  is  to  be  curled  has  been 
found,  the  piece  of  steel  which  is  to  be  the  die,  is  centered  at 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE.  45 

each  end  for  the  hole  Y.  A  drill  1-32  inch  under  size  is  then 
used,  drilling  from  each  end,  in  the  lathe,  keeping  one  end  of  the 
die  on  the  tail  center,  and  then  reversing  it,  until  the  hole  is  com- 
pletely through  the  die.  A  "gun"  reamer  is  then  used  to  ream  and 
finish  the  hole  to  the  exact  size  required.  The  hole  should  then 
be  lapped  to  a  smooth  finish.  A  mandrel  is  now  forced  into  the 
hole  Y,  the  die  is  set  on  the  centers  of  the  miller,  and  a  cut  is 
taken  off  the  bottom,  thereby  squaring  it  with  the  hole  Y.  The 
two  sides  and  top  are  then  finished  as  shown,  after  which  a 
cutter  or  metal  saw  (in  width  equal  to  the  thickness  of  the  stock 
to  be  curled)  is  used  to  cut  the  slot  Z,  being  careful  to  get  the 
outer  edge  of  it  in  line  with  the  side  of  the  hole  Y.  After  remov- 
ing all  burrs  and  polishing  the  edges,  the  die  should  be  hardened, 
and  drawn  just  a  little,  leaving  it  as  hard  as  possible  without 


FIG.  32. — THE  WORK. 

danger  of  cracking.  In  order  to  harden  a  die  of  this  type  prop- 
erly, and  eliminate  as  far  as  possible  all  chances  of  its  warping, 
it  should  be  heated  slowly  and  evenly,  and  quenched  down 
straight  into  a  tub  of  water  with  about  two  inches  of  oil  on  the 
top.  Passing  through  the  oil  toughens  and  prepares  the  steel, 
so  to  speak,  for  the  sudden  clr'1!  of  the  water.  The  manner  in 
which  this  die  is  used  can  be  understood  from  Fig.  31.  One  of 
the  blanks  shown  in  Fig.  32,  is  entered  into  the  slot  Z,  in  the 
die,  and  the  punch  is  set  in  line  with  it  as  shown  by  the  dotted 
line.  The  punch  descends  and  forces  the  metal  into  the  die  Y, 
and  it  takes  and  follows  the  radius  all  around ;  the  punch  de- 
scending far  enough  to  curl  and  finish  the  blank  to  the  shape  of 
the  finished  piece  shown  in  Fig.  32.  Care  must  be  taken  to  have 
all  working  parts  of  this  die  smooth  and  well  polished,  as  the 
finish  of  the  work  depends  on  it.  Also,  in  the  adjustment  of  the 


46  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

stroke  of  the  punch,  allow  it  to  descend  just  far  enough  to  ac- 
complish the  curl — as  if  it  descends  too  far,  the  work  will  be 
jammed  into  the  die,  from  which  it  will  be  very  difficult  to  re- 
move without  marking  the  die  itself.  When  set  properly,  the 


Tube  Curling 
Di; 


FIG.    33. — TUBE   CURLING   DIE   WITH   BLANK   IN   POSITION. 

finished  work,  after  the  punch  ascends,  can  be  easily  removed 
from  the  die  by  hand. 

Die  for  Making  Metal  Tubes. 

The  die  shown  in  Fig.  33,  for  curling  a  tube,  although  an  old 
principle  and  well  known  in  die  shops,  is  a  stranger  in  a  large 
number  of  others  where  it  could  be  used  to  advantage.  The  de- 
sign and  construction  of  both  punch  and  die  is  clearly  shown  in 


SIMPLE    DIES.   FOR    SHOP    USE.  47 

the  engravings,  as  is  also  the  method  of  operation,  and  it  re- 
quires very  little  description  to  be  understood. 

In  the  die,  B  is  the  bolster  with  a  slot  let  in  to  admit  the  die 
A.  A  hole  C,  in  diameter  the  same  as  the  outer  size  of  the  fin- 
ished tube,  is  let  through  and  reamed  to  size,  and  then  polished 
and  finished  in  the  same  manner  as  Y,  Fig.  31.  A  slot  S,  exactly 
the  same  width  as  the  hole  C,  is  milled  down  through  the  face 
as  shown,  being  sure  to  get  both  sides  in  line  with  the  sides  of 
the  hole.  The  die  is  then  carefully  hardened  in  the  same  manner 
as  that  described  for  the  other. 

The  punch  is  made  from  a  mild  steel  forging  with  a  tool  steel 
face  for  the  punch  F.  After  being  turned  to  size  and  machined 
as  shown,  it  is  chucked  in  the  miller  and  a  half  round  groove  is  let 
into  the  face,  using  a  concave  cutter  of  the  same  radius  as  the  die 
C.  The  sides  of  the  punch  are  then  milled  to  just  fit  the  slot  D, 


FIG.   34. — THE   WORK. 

in  the  die,  running  out  at  each  side  to  a  feather  edge.  The  face 
of  the  punch  is  then  polished,  after  which  it  is  hardened  and 
drawn  from  the  back,  leaving  the  face  very  hard. 

The  mandrel  G,  of  tool  steel  is  now  made  to  the  proper 
diameter,  which  should  be  two  thicknesses  of  metal  smaller  than 
the  die,  and  then  polished  lengthwise  with  emery  cloth  so  as  to 
allow  of  the  easy  removal  of  the  tubes.  A  stud,  not  shown,  is 
then  let  through  one  end  to  act  as  a  handle.  This  mandrel  is  left 
soft,  except  for  very  accurate  work,  when  all  working  parts 
of  the  die  should  be  hardened  and  ground  to  size. 

To  operate,  the  punch  and  die  are  set  up  in  the  press  as 
shown,  and  the  horn  or  mandrel  G,  inserted  in  the  die  C.  The 
blank  Fig.  34,  is  then  slipped  into  the  die  as  shown  at  H,  and 
the  punch  F,  descending,  forces  the  metal  around  and  between 
the  horn  G,  and  the  die  C,  until,  at  the  bottom  of  the  stroke,  the 


48 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


punch  at  F,  strikes  the  metal,  forms  and  finishes  it  around  the 
horn  G,  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  34,  leaving  a  tube  sufficiently 
perfect  for  all  ordinary  purposes  with  a  close  joint  where  the 
two  edges  of  the  metal  meet.  The  horn  is  then  pulled  from  the 
die  and  the  tube,  relaxing  a  bit  through  the  spring  in  the  metal, 
is  stripped  of  the  horn  by  hand. 

The  two  curling  dies  shown  here  are  the  simplest  and  best  to 
use  for  the  class  of  work  shown,  and  with  proper  care,  will 
last  a  long  while.  The  few  points  necessary  to  successfully 
construct  them,  are:  Close  work,  a  smooth  finish  on  all  working 
parts,  care  in  hardening,  and  to  have  them  as  hard  as  possible  as 
there  is  considerable  wear  on  the  parts  from  the  friction  of  curl- 
ing the  blanks. 

A  Washer  Die. 

The  die  shown  in  Fig.  35  is  a  washer  die,  and  its  type  may 


A  Washer  Die 
FIG.    35- 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE. 


49 


Washer 


be  used  for  the  production  of  washers  of  any  description.     Its 
construction  is  that  of  the  piercing  and  blanking  type  described 
and  shown  in  Chapter  I.     A  is  the  die,  F 
the  gage  plate,  and  G  the  stripper,  located 
and   fastened   to   the   die   by   the   two   cap 
screws  H  H.    In  the  punch  E  is  the  pad,  Q 
the  holder,  D  the  piercing  punch  for  pierc- 
FIG<  36.  ing  the  hole  in  the  washer,  and  B  the  blank- 

ing punch,  while  C  C  is  the  pilot  pin  which 

enters  the  hole  pierced  by  punch  D,  and  trues  the  stock  on  the 
blanking  die. 

In  operating  this  die,  the  stock  is  fed  in  and  held  against  the 
gage  plate  and  the  stop-pin.  At  the  first  stroke  the  hole  is 
pierced  and  a  waste  washer  punched  out,  and  at  the  next  stroke 
a  finished  washer  is  produced  and  the  hole  pierced  in  the  one  fol- 
lowing. For  punching  thin  stock,  fit  the  punches  tight ;  for 
heavy  stock,  loose. 

A  Burnishing  Die  for  Finishing  Heavy  Blanks. 

Fig.  37  shows  a  burnishing  die  for  finishing  heavy  blanks. 
As  shown,  I  is  the  die  finished  at  J  and  tapering  inward  a  trifle 


FIG.    37. — A   BURNISHING   DIE. 

from  the  face.     K  is  the  gage  plate  for  locating  the  work,  and 
M  the  pad  into  which  the  punch  is  located.     All  working  parts 


50  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

of  this  punch  and  die  are  finished  very  smooth  and  when  the 
blank  shown  on  the  die  is  forced  through  J,  a  nice  smooth  finish 
on  all  sides  results.  This  die  is  substantially  the  same  as  the  one 
shown  in  Fig.  29,  for  finishing  square  holes,  except  that  it  is  for 
external  use  instead  of  internal.  For  both  uses  the  principle  of 
construction  shown  will  produce  equally  good  results.  The  de- 
gree of  finish  on  the  product  depends  entirely  on  the  smoothness 
of  the  working  parts. 

A    Bending   Die   for  Right   Angle   Bends. 

The  die  shown  in  Fig.  38,  is  used  for  bending  sheet  metal 
blanks  at  right  angles.    N  is  the  die,  finished  to  admit  the  pad  O, 


FIG.    38. — A  RIGHT-ANGLE  BENDING   DIE. 

and  the  spring  Q.     The  pad  is  first  let  into  the  die  tightly  and 
then  a  45  degree  angle  is  milled  as  shown,  finishing  die  and  pad 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE.  51 

at  the  same  time,  thereby  insuring  an  even  surface  when  the  pad 
bottoms  at  the  end  of  the  stroke.  R  R  are  the  two  gage  plates 
for  locating  the  work  T,  and  S  the  punch.  The  spring  Q  is  lo- 
cated in  the  bolster,  after  the  die  N  has  been  fastened  within  it, 
by  means  of  an  adjustable  screw  in  the  bottom.  The  pin  P  pre- 
vents the  pad  from  rising  beyond  the  proper  height,  as  shown. 
In  angular  bending  where  exact  duplicates  in  size  and  shape  are 
required,  a  pad  as  shown  should  be  used,  while  for  ordinary  pur- 
poses a  plain  die  without  a  pad  will  be  sufficient. 

Planing  the  Angle  on  Die  Blanks. 

The  illustrations  in  Figs.  39  and  40  are  self-explanatory,  they 
show  the  wrong  and  the  right  way  respectively  of  holding  steel 
die  blanks  in  the  vise  for  planing  or  milling  the  angles.  In  Fig. 


FIG.    39. — THE   WRONG  WAY. 


FIG.    40. — THE   RIGHT  WAY. 


39  A  is  the  blank  and  C  C  two  pieces  of  drill  rod  for  throwing 
the  blank  off  to  the  angle  required.  As  will  be  seen,  this  way  is 
very  unreliable,  and  not  consistent  with  good  work.  The  method 
shown  in  Fig.  40  is  the  proper  way ;  that  is  by  using  two  angular 
parallels  D  D,  which  are  simple  to  construct  and  cheap.  A  pair 
of  such  parallels  should  find  a  place  in  all  shops  where  dies  are 
made  or  used. 

Blanking  and  Bending  in  One  Operation. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  41  will  serve  to  illustrate 
how  a  number  of  different  bends  can  be  accomplished  in  one 
operation  in  a  plain  blanking  die,  by  shearing  or  cutting  away 
the  face  of  the  punch  to  the  shape  desired  in  the  blank.  The 
pieces  of  work  shown  in  Fig.  42  will  convey  an  idea  of  the 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


variety  of  bends  which  it  is  possible  to  accomplish  by  doing*  this ; 
the  top  one  is  the  product  of  the  die  shown.  As  will  be  seen,  the 
face  of  the  die  is  left  perfectly  flat,  while  the  punch  is  finished  to 
the  shape  desired  in  the  piece. 

When  in  use,  the  metal  is  placed  on  the  face  of  the  die  and  as 


Sheared,  Punch  for  Punching 
and  Bending 


FIG.    41. 


FIG.    42.— SAMPLES   OF   WORK. 


the  punch  descends,  the  two  ends  commence  to  cut  first,  and  enter 
the  die  before  the  center  begins  to  cut ;  thus,  the  stock  clings  and 
forms  itself  to  the  shape  of  the  face  of  the  punch,  while  the  part 
still  attached  to  the  stock  is  held  by  the  die,  so  that  when  at  length 
the  blank  is  punched  out  completely  it  has  assumed  the  shape  of 
the  face  of  the  punch.  A  large  number  of  different  bends  can 
be  produced  in  this  manner,  which  otherwise  would  require  a 
second  operation  to  accomplish. 

Punching  Heavy  Stock. 

In  Fig.  43  are  shown  the  same  principles  transferred  to  the 
die,  in  order  to  punch  heavy  stock  in  a  press  that  is  not  strong 
enough  to  stand  a  straight  cut,  and   when  the  blanks  are  re- 
quired to  be  flat.     The  shearing  of 
the  die,  as  shown,  is  the  remedy, 
the  punch  entering  and  cutting  at 
FIG.  43.  both  ends  first  and  cutting  the  cen- 

ter last,  the  blank  resulting  clings 
to  the  face  of  the  punch  and  comes  out  flat. 

In  shearing  either  a  punch  or  die  as  described  here,  it  is  al- 
ways advisable  to  do  it  so  that  both  ends  of  the  punch  will  enter 
the  die  first  and  at  the  same  time,  as  by  doing  this  the  die  will  be 
steadied  and  sustained  while  the  blank  is  being  punched.  This 
also  adds  to  the  rigidity ;  as  otherwise,  where  only  one  end  of  the 
punch,  or  the  center,  enters  first,  the  tendency  is  to  draw  away 
and  shear  or  mark  the  cutting  edges  of  the  die. 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE.  53 

A  Set  of  Dies  Showing  How  Sheet  Metal  May  Be  Drawn  and 
Formed  Into   Various  Shapes. 

In  order  to  illustrate  how  sheet  metal  parts  may  be  drawn 
and  formed  into  various  shapes,  we  show  here  a  complete  set  of 
dies,  which  will  be  the  means  of  suggesting  to  the  reader  how 
desired  results  may  be  accomplished  with  very  simple  and  inex- 
pensive tools.  We  will  describe  the  dies  as  adopted  and  con- 
structed for  the  production  of  a  special  article  and  leave  it  to 
the  reader  to  decide  upon  the  best  manner  of  adapting  them  for 
special  purposes. 

The  piece  or  article  to  be  made  was  a  shoe  clasp.,  or  hook,  for 
laced  shoes,  with  a  ball  17-64  inch  in  diameter  at  one  end  and  a 
cup  shaped  eyelet  at  the  other,  17-32  inch  deep  by  .185  in  dia- 
meter of  the  small'part  and  19-64  inch  diameter  of  the  large  part. 
A  ^g -inch  hole  was  to  be  pierced  in  the  bottom  and  the  article 
was  to  be  made  from  soft  sheet  brass  .022  thick,  finished  and 
formed  as  shown,  slightly  exaggerated,  to  bring  out  its  points 
better,  up  at  the  right  of  Fig.  49.  The  object  of  the  ball  instead 
of  the  flat,  projecting  hook  now  in  use,  was  to  prevent  the  lace 
from  catching  or  tearing. 

After  much  discussion  we  concluded  that  the  quickest  way 
to  get  out  a  few  sample  lots  for  trial  was  by  the  following  set  of 
dies,  which  we  have  endeavored  to  show  as  clearly  as  possible  in 
the  drawings,  showing  the  work  in  two  views  after  each  succes- 
sive operation.  Fig.  44  being  the  first,  forming  so  on  to  Fig.  50, 
which  shows  the  last. 

•It  required  eight  operations  to  produce  the  result  shown  in 
Fig.  49,  all  of  which  were  done  in  the  foot  press,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  first  which  was  done  in  the  power  press  by  blanking 
two  at  a  time,  as  shown  in  Fig.  51.  Of  course  the  blanking  die 
was  made  last,  as  it  took  some  time,  work  and  patience  to  find  the 
exact  shape  and  size  of  the  blank,  for  this  reason  the  drawing  and 
forming  dies  were  made  first. 

The  first  punch  and  die  is  shown  in  Fig.  44,  the  blank  being 
shown  up  at  the  left.  B  is  the  die  of  round  tool  steel,  il/%  inch 
in  diameter,  turned  and  finished  as  shown.  We  then  finished  out 
a  die  block  so  that  all  the  dies  for  the  various  operations,  except 
the  first,  would  fit  within  it,  thereby  saving  a  separate  die  block 
for  each  operation.  The  drawing  shows  a  gage  plate  C  fastened 
with  two  screws,  shown,  and  two  dowel  pins  not  shown ;  also  the 


54 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE. 


55 


pushout  spring-  and  headless  screw  D  for  adjusting  at  the  bottom. 
The  die  was  finished  with  a  butt  mill  to  templet.  A  was  the 
punch  worked  down  and  finished  with  a  hand  tool  to  templet ;  that 
is  two  thicknesses  of  metal  less  in  diameter  than  the  die.  The 
rubber  spring  and  blank-holder  are  shown  on  the  punch  and 

require  no  description.  Both 
punch  and  die  were  hardened. 
The  result  of  this  operation  ap- 
pears up  in  between  Figs.  44  and 

45- 

Fig.  45  shows  the  tools  for 
the  second  operation.  They  are 
on  the  same  plan  as  Fig.  44  ex- 
cept that  the  eyelet  is  drawn  to 
the  finish  size.  E  is  the  punch, 
G  the  gage  plate,  F  the  die  and 
H  the  adjusting  screw.  The  re- 
sult of  the  operation  is  shown 
between  Figs.  45  and  46. 

Operation  No.  3  is  for  pierc- 
ing the  hole  in  the  eyelet.  N  is 
the  die,  O  the  gage  plate,  I  the 
punch  holder,  J  the  punch  of 
Stubs  wire,  K  a  piece  of  y2- 
inch  round  spring  rubber,  and 
M  two  pins  for  holding  the  strip- 
per plate  L,  the  plate  moving  up 
and  down  freely  when  the  rub- 
ber was  compressed.  The  rub- 
ber acted  as  a  stripper  to  strip 
the  finished  work  from  the 
punch. 

Fig.  47  shows  the  fourth 
operation  of  drawing -the  other 
ends,  that  is,  half  forming  the 

ball.  P  is  the  punch  holder,  Q  the  punch  held  by  screw,  as 
shown,  S  the  gage  plate,  R  the  die  and  T  the  adjusting  screw 
for  the  push  out.  The  finishing  of  the  ball  is  shown  in  Fig. 
48;  the  punch  and  die  are  respectively  finished  out  to  one-half 
of  a  sphere  17-64  inch  in  diameter,  U  the  punch,  V  the  die  and 
W  the  work  in  position,  the  punch  descending,  causing  the  four 


FIG.    50. — LAST  BENDING 
OPERATION. 


50  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

wings  to  curl  and  close  in,  thereby  filling  out  and  forming  the 
ball  round  enough  to  satisfy  the  eye,  if  not  quite  perfect. 

The  drawing  of  the  work  being  finished,  the  next  operation 
was  to  bend  and  form  it  to  the  shape  shown  up  at  the  right  of 
Fig.  49,  which  was  done  in  the  following  manner.  Fig.  49  shows 
the  first  bending  with  the  work  in  position.  X  is  the  punch,  Y  the 
die,  I  the  gage  plate  and  Z  the  work.  The  result  of  this  operation 
is  shown  in  Fig.  50  in  position  for  the  next  and  last  operation, 


H 


i 


- 


Punch 


E- 


C-C 


FIG.    51. — PUNCH   AND   DIE   FOR   THE   BLANKS. 

which  was  accomplished  in  the  way  there  shown.  B  is  the  holder, 
G  the  horn  to  hold  the  work,  E  the  bending  rig,  which  was  of  tool 
steel  swinging  on  arm  F  and  held  by  shoulder  screw  C,  H  being 
a  flat  spring  to  bring  it  back  to  place.  It  was  worked  out  in  the 
way  shown,  and  this  completed  the  job. 

The  blanking  punch  and  die  was  made  as  shown  in  Fig.  51 
and  requires  no  description  to  be  understood.  By  blanking  two 
at  a  time  the  work  was  produced  quicker  and  with  less  waste  than 
otherwise.  The  die  was  carefully  hardened  so  as  to  retain  its 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE. 


57 


shape  as  far  as  possible,  as  much  variation  would  have  caused  a 
"heap"  of  trouble. 

Forming  Dies  for  Square  Grooved  Tubes. 

The  following  description,  with  illustrations,  of  a  method  of 
forming  sheet  metal  should  prove  suggestive  for  a  variety  of 
work.  The  job  was  the  forming  of  a  tube  to  be  made  of  sheet 
iron  .012  inch  thick  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  54.  The  finished 
tube  was  %  inch  in  diameter  outside,  and  8  inches  long,  with  a 
groove  3-32  inch  deep  and  5-32  wide,  running  the  entire  length. 
It  was  required  to  be  within  .001  inch  of  all  these  dimensions. 

We  figured  to  do  the  job  in  two  operations.    In  the  first  place, 


FIG.  52. — BLANK. 


FIG.  53. — BLANK 
AS  FORMED. 


J 


FIG.  54. — BLANK  AS 
CURLED  AND  LOCKED. 


strips  of  sheet  iron  of  the  right  thickness  were  cut  to  the  proper 
width  and  length  as  shown  in  Fig.  52 ;  they  were  then  ready  for 
the  first  operation.  The  tools  for  this  consisted  of  a  punch  and 
die,  shown  in  Fig.  55.  A  being  the  punch-holder  or  stem,  of  cast 
iron,  and  B  the  punch,  which  was  of  tool  steel  and  was  worked 
down  and  finished  very  smooth,  5-32  inch  in  width  plus  one  thick- 
ness of  metal,  which  left  room  in  the  die  for  the  opposite  side 
to  be  forced  in,  and  3-32  inch  from  the  face  to  shoulder  plus  one 
thickness  of  metal.  C  was  the  die  of  tool  steel,  a  little  over  8 
inches  long  by  2  inches  wide,  dovetailed  and  driven  into  the  die- 
block  E.  D  was  the  gage  plate.  The  die  C  was  planned  and 
finished  so  that  when  there  was  a  thickness  of  metal  in  it,  the 
punch  would  come  down  and  produce  a  piece  like  Fig.  53,  with 
two  sharp  corners,  as  shown. 

For  the   second  operation  the  punch,   die,   and   mandrel,   as 


5o  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

shown  in  Figs.  56  and  57,  were  used.  The  die  of  tool  steel  was 
8  inches  long  by  two  inches  wide,  dovetailed  and  fitted  to  the 
bolster  J,  with  a  %  inch  reamed  hole  through  its  entire  length. 
This  hole  was  lapped  and  polished  very  smooth.  A  slot  was 
milled  down  its  length,  running  into  the  hole,  as  shown  in  Fig. 
56.  It  was  then  hardened.  The  mandrel  was  a  piece  of  Stubs 
steel,  round,  .350  inch  in  diameter,  with  a  groove  milled  down  its 
entire  length,  3-32  inch  deep,  by  5-32  inch  plus  two  thicknesses 
of  metal  wide.  This  was  drawfiled  very  smooth,  and  hardened, 


FIG.    55. — DIE   FOR   BENDING. 


FIG.    56. — DIE   FOR   CURLING 
AND    LOCKING. 


leaving  the  edges  of  the  groove  sharp.  I  was  the  stripper,  y%  inch 
thick.  When  in  use  the  stripper  I  was  thrown  over  on  pin  O, 
and  the  thumb-screw  P  tightened,  thus  holding  it  in  place.  The 
hole  in  the  stripper  was  a  nice  fit  on  the  mandrel,  which  was 
necessary,  as  otherwise  the  metal  would  curl  up  or  bruise  at 
the  ends.  It  was  of  tool  steel,  and  was  hardened  so  as  to  wear 
well. 

When  the  die  was  in  use  the  mandrel,  Fig.  57,  was  inserted 
within  the  die  through  the  stripper,  and  the  handle  L  turned  until 
a  mark  placed  on  the  handle  corresponded  with  one  on  the  die, 
thus  showing  that  the  groove  in  the  mandrel  was  in  line  with  the 
punch  G.  The  strip  of  metal,  Fig.  53,  is  then  inserted  into  the  die 


SIMPLE    DIES    FOR    SHOP    USE.  59 

from  the  side,  and  with  the  side  which  has  been  formed  resting 
in  the  groove  in  the  mandrel.  The  handle  L  is  turned  one  com- 
plete turn,  which  curls  the  metal  and  brings  the  groove 
again  in  line  with  the  punch,  which  now  descends  and 
enters  the  groove  in  the  mandrel,  and  bends  and  forces 
the  other  edge  of  the  metal  into  the  groove,  thereby 
completing  a  tight  and  perfect  grooved  tube  with  sharp 
edges  and  corners.  The  mandrel  is  then  pulled  out, 
by  hand,  through  the  stripper,  leaving  the  tube  in  the 
die,  from  which  it  is  easily  removed  by  throwing  back 
the  stripper  and  pushing  it  out.  Some  may  think  this 
slow  work,  but,  as  they  say,  results  tell.  There  was 
not  the  slightest  variation  in  size  over  the  entire  length 
of  the  tube,  each  and  every  one  being  the  same  with 
a  good  tight  joint.  Also,  as  the  metal  was  drawn 
around  the  mandrel,  it  came  out  smooth  and  clean.  To 
attain  these  results  a  good  finish  on  all  working  parts, 
sharp  edges  on  the  punch  dies  and  mandrel  were 
necessary,  as  well  as  hardening  and  drawing  them  carefully. 

Adoption  of  Simple  Dies  in  the  Machine  Shop. 

In  stating  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  that  the  tools  shown 
in  it  were  applicable  and  can  be  used  to  advantage  in  the  machine 
shop,  the  inference  to  be  taken  is  this :  There  are  throughout 
the  country  a  number  of  small  shops  where  duplicate  small  parts 
of  standard  shape  and  size  are  being  constantly  made  for  various 
special  machines  and  attachments,  and  what  is  important  about 
them,  "they  are  being  produced  by  the  same  old  means  in  the 
same  old  way.  The  adaptation  of  tools  and  devices  of  the  kind 
shown  in  this  chapter  for  producing  or  finishing  this  class  of 
work — whenever  possible,  that  is,  using  sheet  metal  blanks  in- 
stead of  castings  where  practical — would  cause  some  of  the  people 
that  run  such  shops  to  open  their  eyes  and  double  their  produc- 
tion. It  is  a  common  sight  when  strolling  through  a  small  ma- 
chine shop  in  any  of  the  up-to-date  localities  to  see  a  couple  of 
power  presses  punching  away  and  producing  work  that  a  few 
years  ago  was  produced  by  drilling  or  cut  out  with  a  chisel,  or 
filed  or  milled  down  to  size.  Another  thing,  in  this  age  of  close 
competition,  in  order  to  keep  up  with  the  "band"  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  adopt  any  labor-saving  tool  or  device  that  will  be 
the  means  of  increasing  the  output  and  the  income. 


6o 


DIES/   THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


An  Inclinable  Press. 

For  general  press  work  in  a  machine  shop  an  inclinable  power 
press  should  be  used.  It  should  be  of  sufficient  strength  to  cover 
a  wide  range  of  work.  An  inclinable  power  press  can  be  used 
for  a  large  variety  of  work  for  which  presses  that  are  not  in- 
clinable cannot,  as  it  is  possible  to  adjust  them  from  an  upright 
to  an  incline  position  by  a  few  turns  of  the  wrench,  thus  facilitat- 
ing the  discharge  of  work  from  dies  in  which  the  finished  work  is 
delivered  at  the  top,  when  the  work  will  slide  off  by  gravity. 


FIG.    58. — INCLINABLE   POWER   PRESS   FOR   GENERAL   WORK. 


CHAPTER    III. 
"GANG'''  AND  "FOLLOW"  DIES,  HOW  TO  ADAPT  AND  USE  THEM. 

The  Use  of  ''Gang"  and  "Follow"  Dies. 

For  the  production  of  small  sheet  metal  articles  which  are 
required  to  be  pierced,  bent,  formed  or  stamped  at  one  or  more 
points,  the  dies  used  should  be,  whenever  possible,  of  the  "gang" 
or  "follow''  type,  i.  e.,  dies  in  which  gangs  of  punches  and  dies 
are  assembled  and  located  so  that  the  results  desired  in  the 
finished  blanks  will  be  accomplished  in  one  operation  progres- 
sively. It  is  only  by  the  use  of  such  dies  that  small  sheet  metal 
articles  can  be  produced  in  large  quantities  at  a  profit.  All  too 
frequently  dies  of  the  plain  or  single  type  are  used,  and  three  or 
more  sets  of  dies  are  required  where  the  same  results  could  be  ac- 
complished in  one  operation.  Where  sheet  metal  articles  or  parts 
are  required  in  large  quantities  an  operation  saved  means  a  great 
deal,  and  if  two  operations  can  be  saved,  even  at  the  outlay 
of  considerable  money  and  time,  the  results  attained  will  more 
than  pay  for  all. 

A  Simple  Gang  Die  and  Its  Work. 

The  piece,  Fig.  59,  is  made  of  1-16  inch  hard  sheet  brass,  and 
is  used,  after  being  formed  and  bent  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig. 
60,  as  a  buckle  clasp  for  leather  belts.  The  blank  has  two  holes 


f 

__ 

o" 

C 

The 

B 

Wank 

C 

— 

O^ 

FIG.  59. — BLANK   AS   CUT. 


FIG.   60. — BLANK   AS   FORMED. 


C  C  and  a  long  square-ended  slot  at  B.  The  two  holes  C  C  were 
required  to  be  of  different  sizes  in  different  lots  of  blanks,  and 
for  this  reason  the  gang  die  for  producing  them  was  made  so 


62 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


as  to  allow  of  this.  The  punch  and  die  are  shown  in  Fig.  6i» 
The  die  Q  is  laid  out  in  the  regular  way  from  templet,  and  the 
blanking  die  is  worked  out  at  R  to  lines  and  so  that  the  templet 
will  fit  at  the  top,  giving  it  only  slight  clearance  so  as  to 
allow  of  frequent  grinding  without  changing  the  size  and 


FIG.  6l. — SIMPLE  GANG  DIE. 

shape  of  the  blanks  to  any  extent.  The  oblong  piercing  die  S 
is  finished  as  shown.  The  round  piercing  dies  were  not  made 
in  the  usual  way.  They  were  two  hardened  and  ground  and 
lapped  bushings  TT  forced  into  counterbored  holes  in  the  die 
plate.  After  drilling  and  tapping  the  holes  for  the  stripper 
plate  screws  L  L,  and  letting  in  those  for  the  two  gage  plate 


"GANG"  AND  "FOLLOW"  DIES.  63 

dowels   M  M   and  the   stop   pin   O,   the   die  was   hardened   and 
tempered  in  the  usual  way,  drawing  it  to  a  light  straw. 

The  construction  of  the  punch  is  slightly  different  from  the 
general  practice.  The  holder  E  is  of  cast  iron  with  the  stem 
to  fit  the  press  plunger  and  the  face  finished  square  and  true 
with  it,  for  the  machine  steel  pad  F,  within  which  the  oblong 
piercing  punch  H  and  the  blanking  punch  G  are  located.  These 
punches  were  roughed  out  in  the  shaper  and  then  sheared 
through  the  dies  and  finished  with  the  file.  They  were  both 
hardened  and  drawn  to  a  dark-blue  temper  and  then  let  into 
the  pad  and  upset  at  the  back,  as  shown.  The  construction  of 
the  small  piercing  dies  and  punches  as  shown  allows  a  change, 
to  pierce  holes  of  different  sizes,  with  very  little  trouble.  The 
use  of  hardened  and  tempered  Stubs  wire  lengths  for  the 
piercing  punches  was  satisfactory  and  economical,  as  when  one 
broke  another  could  be  substituted  for  the  old  one  in  short  order. 
The  same  thing  can  be  said  of  the  use  of  hardened,  lapped 
and  ground  bushings  for  the  piercing  dies,  as  when  one  becomes 
chipped  or  sheared  another  can  be  located  with  very  little  trouble. 

A  Gang  Die  for  a  Sheet  Metal  Bracket. 
The  piece  shown  in  Fig.  62,  to  be  made  in  this  die,  was  of 


x   B    B 


FIG.  62. — BLANK. 


•CD 


FIG.    63. — PLAN   OF   PUNCH. 


i-i6-inch  sheet  brass,  and  was  pierced,  the  wings  B  B  thrown 
up,  and  the  piece  blanked  in  one  operation.  There  were  to  be 
four  small  holes  in  the  piece,  one  at  each  end  and  one  in  the 
end  of  each  wing. 

At  first  a  templet  of  sheet  steel  was  made  to  the  exact 
shape  of  the  outside  of  Fig.  62,  and  the  four  holes  drilled.  The 
inside  of  the  templet  (except  for  the  holes)  was  left  intact. 
The  die  A  was  then  bluestoned  on  the  face  and  three  outlines 


64 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


of  the  templet  transferred  to  it  with  a  sharp  scriber,  getting 
them  all  in  line  with  1-16  inch  space  between  them.  The  small 
holes  were  also  marked  off  in  each  outline  made.  These  holes 
were  then  drilled  and  those  on  the  right-hand  end  were  enlarged 


®'       o 

nO             if  X7! 
Face  of  Die                                            ^w                  \^X 

F      S~~ 

"""N                                                          p                                        B        H 

c-i( 

)    C    c    |.|      c   )    o  o                   o  OB 

V 

i 

©'  G  OQ 

i(T) 

FIG.  64. — VERTICAL  SECTION   OP    PUNCH   AND   DIE   AND   PLAN   OF   DIE. 

and  reamed  to  3-32  inch,  and  tapered  as  shown.  In  the  center 
outline  the  inner  holes  were  enlarged  and  reamed  to  l/±  inch, 
thus  forming  the  ends  of  the  dies  for  blanking  and  throwing 
up  the  wings.  These  wing  shapes  were  then  worked  out  as 


AND  "FOLLOW"  DIES.  65 

shown  at  C  C,  with  a  rib  between  them  at  E.  Using  the  center 
of  the  two  inner  holes  in  the  last  outline  and  enlarging  them 
to  the  width  of  the  templet,  the  stock  between  them  was 
machined  away,  tapering  about  one  degree,  until  the  templet 
was  let  through  from  the  back.  The  edges  of  the  rib  E  were 
slightly  rounded  to  allow  the  metal  to  bend  over  easily.  The 
hole  for  the  stop  pin  F,  and  those  for  the  screws  I,  were  drilled 
and  tapped,  after  which  the  die  was  hardened  and  drawn  to  a 
light  straw  temper  and  the  face  ground. 

The  construction  of  the  punch  is  plainly  shown,  and  no 
description  is  necessary,  except  a  few  words  relative  to  the 
punch  M  M  for  blanking  and  bending  the  two  wings  B  B.  This 
punch  was  made  in  one  piece,  as  shown,  with  the  slot  N  in 
the  center  enlarged,  so  as  to  leave  space  for  a  thickness  of 
metal  to  lie  in  freely  between  it  and  the  rib  of  the  die.  The 
face  was  sheared  inwardly  from  each  end ;  this  was  done  so  as 
to  cut  and  start  to  bend  at  the  same  time.  The  punch  was 
hardened  and  drawn  to  a  light  straw  at  the  cutting  face  and 
a  blue  above  it.  The  locating  of  the  punches  in  the  pad  was 
accomplished  in  the  manner  described  in  Chapter  I. 

When  in  use,  this  punch  and  die  were  set  up  in  the  press, 
and  the  strip  of  metal  to  be  worked  was  inserted  in  the  chan- 
nel between  the  gage  plates  G  G  and  against  the  stop  pin.  The 
first  two  blanks  were  waste.  The  holes  being  pierced,  the  strip 
was  moved  along  one  space,  and  the  wings  M  M  cut  and  bent 
into  the  die  C  C,  the  space  in  the  slot  N  allowing  them  to  lie 
within  it.  The  strip  was  then  moved  another  space  and  the 
punch  O  blanked  out  the  finished  piece,  as  shown  at  X  and  Y. 

Dies  of  this  construction  are  used  quite  extensively  where 
several  operations  are  necessary  to  produce  the  finished  piece. 
The  manner  shown  of  holding  and  riveting  the  punches  within 
the  pad  is  more  reliable  and  conducive  of  good  results  than 
another  way  of  fastening  by  set  screws,  though  taking  more 
time  and  skill  in  locating. 

A  Gang  Die  for  Metal  Tags. 

Figs.  65  and  66  show  another  of  the  type  of  die  shown  in 
Fig.  64.  It  is  used  to  produce  the  pronged  metal  tag  shown 
in  Fig.  67.  As  shown  in  the  blank,  the  operations  consist  of, 
first,  piercing  the  three  holes  T  T  T,  then  cutting  and  bending1 


66 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


the  three  prongs  V  V  V,  and,  lastly,  punching  out  the  finished 
blank  to  the  shape  and  size  shown.     The  cast  iron  holder  and 


FIG.  65. — CROSS-SECTION   AND   PLAN  VIEWS   OF   PUNCH. 

method    of    fastening   the    punches    are    the    same    as    described 
in  the  other,  and  the  method  of  construction  carried  out  in  both 


0 


F 


w 


o 


O 

Y 


V 
O 


FIG.  66. — PLAN  OF  PUNCH. 


YO 


FIG.  67.— METAL  TAG. 


punch  and  die  is  clearly  shown  in  the  engravings  and  can  be 
intelligently  understood  without  a  detailed  description. 

As  will  be  seen  this  kind  of  a  die  will  commend  itself  and 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW       DIES.  67 

prove  adaptable  for  the  production  of  a  large  variety  of  different 
shapes  of  blanks,  which  are  required  to  be  pierced  and  bent  at 
certain  points,  or  wherever  it  may  be  necessary  to  throw  tip  or 
bend  one  or  more  portions  of  the  blanks.  These  two  types  of 
dies  cover  a  wide  range  of  dies  used  in  the  general  run  of  small 
sheet  metal  working,  the  design  and  principle  of  construction 
being  pretty  much  the  same  in  all  of  them.  In  the  die  shown 
in  Figs.  65  and  66  it  will  be  seen  that  the  punches  C  C  C  are 
left  taper  at  the  cutting  face  so  as  to  cut  and  commence  to  bend 
at  the  same  time.  The  reason  for  leaving  the  smaller  or  more 
delicate  punches  shorter  than  the  blanking  punch  is  to  allow 
of  the  blanking  punch  having  entered  the  die  before  the  others 
commence  to  cut.  This  steadies  and  strengthens  them  and 
eliminates,  as  far  as  possible,  the  tendency  to  break  or  snap  off, 
which  is  a  frequent  occurrence  when  all  are  left  the  same  length. 
All  small  punches  should  be  tight  fits  in  the  stripper  for  the  same 
reason. 


First  Operation 


LJ 

Second   Operation 


A  Gang  Die  and  Two  Forming  Dies  for  Umbrella  Rib  Tips. 

The  dies  herein  described  and  illustrated  were  used  for 
producing  umbrella  rib  tips  of  black  tin  .010  inch  thick,  and 
they  illustrate  in  their  design  and  construction  many  practical 
points  which  can  be  adopted  to  ad- 
vantage in  the  rapid  production  of 
various  small  sheet  metal  parts. 
The  three  operations  necessary  to 
produce  the  rib  tip  are  shown  in 
Fig.  68.  The  first  operation  com- 
prises piercing  the  two  holes  a  a, 
forming  the  two  sides  b  b  and 
punching  out  the  blank  to  the  shape 
shown.  The  punch  and  die  for  the 
first  operation  are  shown  in  Fig.  69, 
which  gives  a  vertical  longitu- 
dinal section  of  both,  and  in  Fig. 

70,  which  shows  a  plan  of  the  punch.  The  punch  and  die  are 
of  the  gang  type  and  are  constructed  to  produce  two  finished 
blanks  with  each  stroke  of  the  press,  and  as  the  stock  to  be 
punched  is  very  thin,  it  was  far  cheaper  and  more  expedient  to 
produce  the  blanks  this  way  than  by  two  separate  dies. 


Third   Operation 


FIG.   68. — UMBRELLA 
RIB   TIP. 


68 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


The  die  was  made  first,  and,  after  being  planed  and  fitted 
to  the  bolster,  the  face  was  ground  and  polished  and  six  out- 
lines of  the  templet  transferred  to  it,  getting  them  in  the  rela- 
tive position  and  all  exactly  the  same  distance  apart,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  69.  The  two  blanking  dies  M  M  were  then  worked  out 
by  letting  the  templet  through  them,  and  the  four  piercing  dies 
O,  Fig.  69,  were  finished.  The  two  forming  dies  N  N  were 
then  finished  to  the  shape  of  the  face  of  the  blank,  Fig.  68,  by 
first  using  a  round  face  end  mill  to  rough  out  and  then  a  graver ; 
they  were  then  lapped  and  polished  on  the  drill  press.  After 


FIG.  69. — CROSS  SECTIONS  OF  PUNCH  AND  DIE  FOR  BLANKS. 

the  hole  for  the  stop  pin  L  and  those  for  the  stripper  screws 
and  gage  plate,  dowels  were  let  in  and  tapped  as  required, 
the  die  was  hardened  and  drawn  slightly,  leaving  it  as  hard  as 
possible  without  danger  of  cracking  or  chipping.  The  piercing 
dies  were  then  lapped  to  size,  and  the  face  of  the  die  ground 
and  oilstoned. 

The  punch  consists  of  the  cast  iron  holder  H,  and  the  pad 
D,  of  machine  steel,  in  which  the  punches  are  located.  The  two 
blanking  punches  were  made  first  and  finished  to  size  by  shear- 
ing them  through  the  dies  M  M,  leaving  them  a  tight  fit,  as 
the  metal  to  be  punched  necessitated.  Both  punches  were  left 


"GANG"  AND  "FOLLOW"  DIES.  69 

soft  and  let  into  the  pad  D,  as  shown.  The  four  piercing  punches 
were  got  out  and  located  within  the  pad,  as  shown,  transferring 
the  holes  for  them  through  the  dies  O,  and  then  enlarging  them 
to  the  size  required.  The  two  forming  punches  F  F  were  of 
pieces  of  square  tool  steel,  first  let  into  the  pad  and  the  face  of 
each  then  worked  away  to  fit  within  the  dies  N  N.  These  two 
punches  were  the  only  ones  hardened,  as,  by  leaving  the  blank- 
ing and  piercing  punches  soft,  and  having  the  die  as  hard 
as  possible,  it  could  be  worked  steadily  for  a  long  time  with- 
out being  ground.  After  the  stripper  plate  I  and  the  two 
gage  plates  J  J  were  located  and  fastened  on  the  face  of  the 
die  and  the  gage  pin  L  let  in,  the  punch  and  die  were  set  up 
in  the  press. 

The  metal  to  be  punched  came  in  rolls  of  the  proper  width, 

Plan  of  Punch 


FIG.     70. — SHOWING   ARRANGEMENT   OF   PIERCING,    FORMING 
AND   BLANKING   PUNCHES. 


and  was  set  on  a  reel  at  the  side  of  the  press.  The  end  was 
fed  against  the  stop  pin  L.  For  the  first  two  strokes  the  four 
blanks  produced  were  waste,  but  after  that  two  complete  blanks 
were  produced  at  each  stroke.  As  will  be  seen,  the  two  blank- 
ing punches  E  E  and  the  four  piercing  punches  G  are  left  longer 
than  the  two  forming  punches ;  this  is  so  that  the  metal  will  be 
held  securely  while  the  forming  punches  are  drawing  it,  thereby 
allowing  the  metal  to  be  drawn  sideways  without  disturbing  the 
relation  of  the  operations  to  any  extent  and  also  allowing  of 
upsetting  the  piercing  and  blanking  punches  when  they  become 
dull. 

For  the  second  operation,  that  of  bending  and  forming  the 
blank  to  the  shape  shown  in  the  center  drawing  of  Fig.  68,  the 
punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  71  were  used.  It  is  what  might 
be  called  a  common  push-through  die,  and  is  about  the  simplest 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


and  cheapest  that  could  be  adopted.  The  punch  holder  P  is  of 
cast  iron  and  is  fitted  to  the  ram  of  the  foot  press.  The  face 
is  dovetailed  to  admit  the  punch  Q.  The  face  R"  of  the  punch 
is  rounded  to  the  proper  radius  to  which  the  tips  are  to  be  finished 
— that  is,  one-half  of  a  circle  as  shown.  The  die  T  is  fitted  to 
the  bolster  X  and  is  worked  out  at  U  in  width  two  thicknesses 
of  metal  wider  than  the  punch.  The  gage  plate  S  is  fastened 
to  the  face  of  the  die  and  worked  out  at  V  to  allow  the  blanks 
to  fit  nicely.  '  The  edges  of  the  die  are  slightly  rounded  and 
the  inside  polished  smooth.  Both  punch  and  die  are  hardened 
and  drawn  slightly. 

For  the  last  operation  the  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  72 


FIG.   71. — SECOND   OPERATION 
DIE. 


FIG.  72. — TOOLS  FOR  THIRD 
OPERATION. 


are  used.  This  operation  consists  of  finishing  the  tip  and  closing 
it  around  the  rib  c,  Fig.  68,  so  that  the  two  eyelets  a  a  of  the 
blank  will  match.  The  punch  Y  and  the  die,  after  being  finished 
all  over  and  fitted  to  holder  and  bolster,  have  the  faces  ground, 
and  are  then  clamped  together,  and  a  hole  drilled  and  reamed 
through  them,  so  that  a  perfect  half-circle  will  remain  in  each 
face.  A  half-round  groove  is  then  let  into  the  center  of  the 
punch  face  and  the  edges  are  rounded;  this  acts  as  an  inlet  and 
sizer  for  the  eyelets.  Both  punch  and  die  are  hardened.  To  set 
this  punch  and  die  in  line  with  each  other  the  gage  shown  at 


"GANG   .  AND      FOLLOW       DIES.  /I 

the  right  of  Fig.  72  is  used,  the  portion  E  E  fitting  the  half-circle 
of  each  and  the  tit  D  D  fitting  within  the  groove  in  the  punch. 
One  of  the  second  operation  pieces  is  placed  on  the  die,  resting 
within  the  portion  B  B  and  against  a  stop  at  the  back.  The  rod 
on  which  it  is  to  be  fastened  is  then  laid  within  it,  thereby  serving 
as  a  horn.  The  punch  descending  forms  the  tip  to  a  perfect 
circle,  rivets  it  on  the  rod,  or  rib,  and  sizes  the  eyelets  a  a. 

A  Gang  Die  for  an  Odd-shaped  Piece. 

As  an  illustration  of  what  can  be  accomplished  by  the  use 
of  a  gang  die  of  comparatively  simple  design  and  inexpensive 
construction  we  show  here  a  punch  and  die  adaptable  for  the 
production  of  a  large  variety  of  pierced  and 
formed  articles.  The  product  of  this  die  is 
shown  in  two  views  in  Fig.  73.  It  is 
punched  from  hard  sheet  brass  with  a  cen- 
tral hole  pierced  at  a,  four  pear-shaped  holes 
b,  and  the  ends  c  split  and  bent  downward 

as  shown.     Three  operations  are  required,  J^G.  73. THE 

but  as  they  are  all  combined  in  the  one  die  BLANK. 

there  is  practically  only  one  operation.,  pro- 
ducing one  complete  piece  at  each  stroke  of  the  press. 

The  two  lower  illustrations  in  Fig.  74  are  a  plan  and  vertical 
section  of  the  die,  and  the  upper  two  the  same  of  the  punch. 
The  stock  used  for  the  die  was  of  the  composite  iron  and  steel 
kind,  which  has  been  found  to  give  the  best  results,  especially 
in  dies  where  two  or  more  portions  are  worked  out,  and  which 
are  irregular  in  shape,  as  when  hardening  the  tendency  to  shrink 
or  warp  excessively  is  eliminated.  EEEE  are  the  four  pear- 
shaped  dies,  F  F  the  splitting  and  bending  dies,  and  G  the  round 
piercing  die,  while  H  is  the  blanking  die.  All  of  the  dies  are 
worked  out  straight  for  about  5-16  inch  in  depth  and  then 
tapered  away  for  clearance. 

\Yhile  explaining  the  construction  of  the  die,  a  few  remarks 
as  to  the  best  method  of  laying  out  a  die  of  this  type  so  as  to 
insure  accurate  location  may  not  be  amiss.  In  the  first  place., 
finish  the  templet,  Fig.  75,  to  the  exact  size  and  shape  required, 
with  all  pierced  holes  to  size  and  shape  and  in  the  exact  posi- 
tion, only  leaving  two  points  on  the  outer  edges  of  the  blank 
unfinished.  These  points  are  for  locating  the  outlines  of  the 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


r     ^s^pj 


N 


M 


_ 


G  E       E 


I     '      i        I 


11  F 


CO     (    H 


FIG.  74. — GANG  DIE   FOR   AN   ODD-SHAPED   PIECE. 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW       DIES. 


73 


different  operations  square  with  the  side  of  the  die  and  in  line 
with  each  other,  and  also  to  get  the  same  amount  of  space 
between  the  different  operations  or  the  same  amount  of  scrap 
between  the  blanks,  as  if  this  is  not  done  accurately  the  locating 
of  the  stop  pin  is  impossible.  The  unfinished  points  on  the  tem- 
plet are  at  A  and  B  respectively,  the  part  A  being  bent  and 
finished  to  allow  of  resting  it  against  the  inclined  side  of  the 
die,  and  the  edge  of  B  finished  to  project  from  the  side  of  the 
templet  the  same  distance  as  the  amount  of  metal  to  be  left 
between  the  blanks. 

We  grind  the  face  of  the  die,  bluestone  it  and  locate  the 
templet  on  it  for  the  first  outline  H,  which  is  the  blanking  die, 
holding  the  part  A  against  the  side  of  the  die  and  clamping 
the  templet  to  the  face  with  a  die-maker's  clamp  and  then  with 


FIG.  75. — THE  TEMPLET. 


FIG.  76. — SECTION  OF  STOCK. 


a  sharp  scriber  transferring  the  outline  to  the  face  of  the  die. 
This  done  we  move  the  templet  along  until  the  edge  of  B  is 
in  line  with  outline  of  the  opposite  side,  clamp  it  in  position 
and  with  a  sharp  center  drill,  which  should  fit  nicely  in  the  hole 
a,  drill  the  center  for  the  piercing  die  G  and  transfer  the  out- 
line of  the  blank  as  before.  We  move  the  templet  once  more, 
relocate  the  edge  B  and  scribe  the  outlines  of  the  four  pear- 
shaped  dies  E  E  E  E.  The  templet  is  now  removed.  Now 
drill  and  ream  the  hole  for  the  piercing  die  G,  lay  out  the  two 
splitting  and  bending  dies  F  F  from  the  center  of  G  and  from 
the  sides  of  the  blank  outline.  We  then  remove  the  projecting 
parts  A  and  B,  so  as  to  have  the  templet  perfect.  The  die  can 
now  be  finished  in  the  usual  manner,  first  the  blanking  die, 
working  to  lines,  and  letting  the  templet  through  it,  then  the 
splitting  dies  F  F  and  lastly  the  pear-shaped  dies  E.  After  dril!- 


74 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


ing  the  holes  for  the  screws  N  N  and  the  gage  and  stripper 
plate  dowels  M  M  and  also  that  for  the  stop  pin  I,  the  die  should 
be  hardened. 

The  upper  two  views  of  Fig.  74  show  a  plan  and  section  of 
the  punch,  with  all  punches  let  into  a  machine  steel  pad  and 
upset  or  riveted  on  the  back,  as  shown.  O  is  the  stem  or  punch 
holder,  P  the  punch  pad  which  is  fastened  to  the  holder  face 
by  the  four  screws  W  and  located  by  the  dowel  pins  X.  U  is 
the  blanking  punch  with  the  pilot  pin  in  the  center  at  V,  S  S  the 
splitting  and  bending  punches,  T  the  round  piercing  punch,  and 
Q  Q  O  Q  the  four  pear-shaped  piercing  punches.  The  only 
punches  hardened  were  the  two  S  S,  and  they  were  drawn  to 
a  dark  blue. 

In  Fig.  76  is  shown  a  section  of  the  stock  used.  The  stock 
is  fed  in  so  as  to  project  slightly  over  the  edge  of  the  blanking 


FIG.  77- — HOW  THE)   BEJND- 
ING  IS  DONE. 


FIG.  78. — BLANK   AS 
PRODUCED. 


die  H,  and  as  the  punch  descends  the  end  is  trimmed  and  the 
other  holes  are  pierced.  At  the  next  stroke  the  blank  produced 
is  useless,  as  it  is  incomplete,  but  after  that  a  perfect  blank  of 
the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  73,  and  with  the  ends  c  c  split  and  bent 
to  the  angle  shown,  is  produced  at  each  stroke.  The  manner 
of  splitting  and  bending  the  ends  is  shown  in  Fig.  77.  As  shown 
in  the  sectional  view  of  the  punch,  Fig.  74,  the  blanking  punch  is 
considerably  longer  than  the  others.  This  is  done  so  that  the 
blank  will  have  been  located  and  punched  out  before  the  other 
punches  start  to  cut,  thus  insuring  the  accurate  locating  of  the 
stock.  This  leaving  the  blanking  punch  longer  than  the  others, 
has  been  found  practical  for  all  dies  of  this  class,  as  it  makes 
the  punching  of  the  stock  progressive,  and  also  holds  and  locates 
it  positively.  When  the  piercing  and  blanking  punches  require 
grinding,  which  shortens  them,  to  accommodate  the  two  split- 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW      DIES. 


75 


ting-  and  bending  punches  S  S  to  them,  the  pad  P  is  removed, 
the  punches  S  S  are  driven  partly  out  and  filed  off  at  the  back 
the  required  amount,  then  driven  back  and  re-riveted  as  before, 
this  being  possible  as  the  backs  are  soft. 

A    Gang  Die  for  Producing   the  Blank   of  a   Compass  Sliding 

Bracket. 

The  punch  and  die  for  producing  the  blank  shown  in  Fig. 
78  are  shown  in  Figs.  79  and  80,  Fig.  79  showing  a  longitudinal 
cross-section  of  both,  and  Fig.  80  a  plan .  view  of  the  die,  in 


•  1 


1 

m 


;M 


IP 


FIG.  79. — CROSS-SECTION  OF  GANG  DIE). 

which  can  be  clearly  seen  the  tension  buttons  P  P  which  are  used 
to  keep  the  stock  firmly  against  the  back  gage  plate  as  it  is 
fed  along. 

As  the  stock  to  be  punched  was  quite  thin,  and  had  to  be 
produced  with  nice  clean  edges  at  all  points,  perfectly  free  from 
burrs  and  fins,  the  punch  and  die  had  to  be  constructed  accu- 
rately ;  and  as  the  article  was  to  be  produced  in  large  numbers, 
it  was  necessary  to  finish  both  in  a  manner  favorable  to  their 
longevity.  The  method  of  construction  followed  out  in  the  die 


76 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


can  be  clearly  understood  from  the  cross-section  view  Fig.  79 
and  the  plan  view  Fig.  80.  O  O  are  the  piercing  dies,  N  N  the 
cutting  and  bending  dies  for  the  wings,  and  M  the  blanking 
die.  When  laying  out,  spacing  and  finishing  these,  great  care 
was  taken  to  space  them  correctly  and  finish  each  in  the  proper 
relation  to  the  others.  Very  little  clearance  was  given,  finishing 
them  almost  straight.  As  the  two  wings  a  a  of  the  blank,  Fig. 
78,  are  cut  and  bent  'into  the  dies  N  N,  the  gage  plates  1 1  of 
the  die  are  required  to  be  of  unusual  height  to  allow  of  the 
stock  being  fed  along  with  ease.  The  holes  in  the  stripper 
plate  for  the  two  piercing  punches  are  finished  dead  in  line 
with  the  die  O  O,  so  as  to  be  a  tight  fit  for  the  punches,  which, 


K 


M 


-/p 

Jfi 


FIG.  80. — PLAN   OF  DIE. 

being  rather  frail,  would  not  stand  up  well  if  they  were  not 
strengthened  in  this  manner.  The  insides  of  the  die  were  all 
finished  as  smoothly  as  possible  and  polished  before  and  after 
hardening.  After  hardening  the  face  of  the  die  was  ground, 
after  which  it  was  drawn  and  then  oilstoned  to  a  keen  edge  at 
all  cutting  points. 

The  construction  of  the  punch  is  clearly  shown  in  the  cross- 
section,  Fig.  79,  and  requires  no  description  to  be  understood. 
The  dotted  lines  within  the  dies  N  N  show  clearly  the  manner 
in  which  the  wings  a  a  of  the  blank  are  cut  and  bent.  At  a  a  the 
punches  have  commenced  to  cut  and  bend  the  wings ;  c  c  show 
the  faces  of  the  punch  when  they  have  entered  the  dies  the 
full  depth,  and  d  d  the  wings  as  bent  and  finished.  All  of  the 
punches  were  hardened.  The  blanking  punch  D  and  the  two 
piercing  punches  F  F  were  drawn  to  a  dark  blue  temper.  The 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW       DIES. 


77 


cutting  and  bending  punch  G  G  was  tempered  differently.  It 
was  first  heated,  and  hardened  in  clear  oil,  dipping  it  from  the 
back,  and  thus  preventing  as  far  as  possible  the  two  legs  GG 
from  crawling  in  toward  each  other  because  of  the  channel 
between  them.  By  dipping  from  the  back  this  was  overcome, 
as  by  the  time  the  cutting  face  was  immersed  the  back  was 
hard  and  set.  It  was  then  polished  and  tempered  by  drawing 
from  the  back  to  a  dark  blue  to  within  y\  inch  of  the  cutting 
faces  and  quenched  when  these  portions  were  a  dark  straw. 

Dies  of  the  design  and  construction  described  in  this  chapter 
should  always  be  used  when  the  articles  required  are  desired  in 
large  quantities,  as  their  use  will  allow  of  the  attainment  of 
results  in  one  operation  which  would  otherwise  require  more 
to  produce.  For  the  production  of  sheet  metal  novelties  in  large 


I  Piece  Produced  in  one 

1  Operation  at  the  Rate 

of  100  a  Minute 


FIG.  Si. — SECTION  OF  STOCK. 


quantities  it  is  possible  to  design  a  die  that  will  accomplish  in 
one  operation  that  which  usually  requires  two  or  three,  and  as 
the  saving  of  even  one  operation  in  the  production  of  sheet  metal 
parts,  which  are  often  turned  out  to  the  million  mark,  adds  con- 
siderable to  the  margin  of  profit,  the  dies  which  will  produce 
them  in  the  shortest  time  are  the  ones  to  use. 

A  "Follow  Die"  Which  Draws,  Pierces,  End-Finishes,  Cuts  Off 
and  Bends  in  One  Operation. 

The  "follow  die"  here  shown  was  used  for  producing  parts 
of  sheet  tin  of  the  shape  shown  in  the  three  views  of  Fig.  82. 
These  pieces  were  required  in  large  quantities,  and  were  used 
for  fastening  the  corners  of  thin  wooden  boxes,  such  as  grape 
crates,  baskets,  small  packing  boxes,  and  so  on.  As  the 
number  of  these  tin  fasteners  required  every  season  exceeds 
twenty  millions,  the  necessity  for  producing  them  as  rapidly 
and  as  cheaply  as  possible  is  at  once  obvious.  We  may  say  before 


7o  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

describing  the  die  that  the  shop  in  which  it  was  made  and  used 
makes  a  specialty  of  sheet  metal  articles  for  which  the  demand 
is  enormous,  and  that  their  chief  concern  is  to  produce  these 
articles  as  cheaply  as  possible.  Expense  in  the  constructing 
of  a  die  means  very  little  to  them  if  it  will  reduce  the  number 
of  operations  in  the  production  of  the  part  required.  In  this 
establishment  dies  of  every  type  imaginable  have  been  improved 
in  every  manner  possible,  so  that  sheet  metal  articles,  which  in 
numbers  of  other  shops  would  require  two  or  more  operations 
to  produce,  are  here  produced  in  a  single  operation.  The  types 
of  dies  which  have  improved  the  most,  and  from  which  the  best 
results  have  been  secured,  are  of  the  "gang"  and  "follow"  types, 


FIG.  83.  —  "FOLLOW  DIE  "   COMPLETE. 

numbers  of  which  work  upon  a  strip  of  stock  from  five  to  eight 
times  before  the  finished  piece  drops  off  the  die. 

To  produce  the  fasteners  as  shown  it  is  necessary  to  draw 
two  rings  at  A  A,  pierce  the  central  hole  B,  finish  the  ends  C  C 
to  angles  of  45  degrees,  cut  off  4he  blank  and  then  bend  it  to 
the  shape  shown.  In  Fig.  83  the  manner  in  which  these  separate 
workings  of  the  metal  follow  each  other  can  be  clearly  seen. 
The  punch,  or  male  die,  consists  of  the  usual  cast  iron  holder, 
and  the  machine  steel  pad  in  which  the  punches  are  located  and 
secured.  The  first  punch  is  that  which  draws  the  two  rings 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW       DIES. 


79 


A  A  and  at  the  same  time  flattens  the  stock ;  the  second  is  the 
piercing  punch  which  pierces 'the  hole  B;  the  third  punch  is 
the  end-finishing  and  cutting-off  punch,  while  the  last  acts  in 
the  double  capacity  of  spring  pad  and  bending  punch.  The 
construction  and  relative  position  of  the  punches  require  no 
description. 

The  die  is  in  one  piece,  made  in  the  usual  manner,  except 


tripper 


Die  Block 

1 

£@)    O  Dowei  Pin                      O     \ 

^22       W                                       Dowel  Piu             \ 
Gauge  Plate          <~t  jl  \ 

U.earancf 
Way  for 
Finished 
Pieces 

. 

1'  Drawing  -~                                              .-^                \™i/"* 
AsQ        Piercl^(0)     J°L 
,      -      7^-s  '       Die        ,~\           (   Punch  ^ 

^-V\ 

stop!'^! 

/-_^.\                               A-.-^-X 
r^^'"[f  If"'  Tensio:l  Button'"  2?  •fT^Tensiou  Button 

1> 

V*  ~ 

c 


FIG.  84. — PLAN   OF  DIE. 

for  the  bending  die,  which  consists  of  a  square  milled  channel 
across  the  face  to  the  depth  shown,  and  which  is  equipped  with 
a  spring  pad  for  holding  the  metal  while  it  is  being  cut  off  by 
the  end-finishing  punch,  and  for  stripping  the  finished  work 
from  the  die  as  the  punch  rises.  As  shown  in  the  plan  of  the 
die,  Fig.  84,  the  gage  plate  is  located  by  two  dowel  pins,  and 


FIG.  85. — PLAN  OF  PUNCH. 

has  a  clearance  channel  let  through  it  in  line  with  the  bending 
die  as  an  exit  for  the  finished  work,  which,  as  the  press  is  in- 
clined, drops  out  at  the  back  as  soon  as  it  is  stripped  from  the 
die.  As  shown,  the  die  is  equipped  with  two  tension  bottoms 
which  keep  the  strip  of  stock  against  the  gage  plate  and  in 
line  with  different  dies.  When  in  use  the  punch  and  die  are  in 
the  relative  positions  shown  in  Fig.  83.  The  drawing  and  flat- 


8o 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


tening  punch  is  the  shortest,  this  being  necessary  to  allow  the 
other  punches  to  do  their  work. 

The  metal  is  fed  by  an  automatic  roll  feed.  At  the  first 
stroke  of  the  press  the  two  rings  A  A  are  drawn  and  the  stock 
is  flattened;  at  the  next  hole  B  is  pierced  and  one  of  the  ends  C 
trimmed ;  at  the  third  stroke  the  bending  punch,  acting  as  a 
spring  pad,  holds  the  metal  while  the  other  end  is  being  finished 
and  the  piece  cut  off,,  the  punch  continuing  to  descend  until  the 
bending*  punch  strikes  the  face  of  the  holder,  when  the  metal  is 
bent  into  the  bending  die.  As  the  punch  rises  the  bending  punch 
is  forced  outward  by  the  spring  at  the  back  and  the  finished 
work  is  stripped  from  the  die  by  the  spring  pad.  This  die  pro- 
duced 75,000  of  the  pieces  shown  in  a  working  day  of  ten  hours. 

A  Complete  Set  of  Dies  for  the  Manufacture  of  Sheet  Metal 

Hinges. 

The  set  of  dies  here  described  was  made  in  one  of  the  largest 
sheet  metal  goods  establishments  in  New  York.  The  dies  were 


FIG.  86. — LATCH  PORTION. 


I  B£F  ] 
FIG.  87. — ATTACHABLE  PORTION. 


FIG.  88. — HINGE  COMPLETE. 


used  for  manufacturing  sheet  metal  hinges  and  latches  for  grape 
crates,  and  they  represent  the  highest  attainment  in  the  adapta- 
tion of  different  types  of  dies  for  the  production  of  sheet  metal 
parts  at  a  minimum  cost.  There  is  a  demand  for  over  8,000,000 
of  these  hinges  and  latches  annually. 

Six  dies  are  required  to  produce  the  hinges,  and,  as  the  illus- 
trations have  been  made  as  clear  as  possible,  their  design,,  con- 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW       DIES. 


8l 


struction  and  operation  will  be  clearly  understood  with  a  very 
slight  description. 

There  are  three  different  parts  to  be  made — the  latch  portion, 
Fig.  86;  the  attachable  portion,  Fig.  87,  and  the  hinge  proper, 
I,  in  Fig.  88.  Fig.  86  is  of  cold  rolled  stock,  about  1-32  inch 
thick.  As  this  stock  comes  in  rolls  of  the  required  width,  it 
is  not  necessary  to  do  any  blanking.  The  operations  to  produce 
this  part  are  the  piercing  of  the  small  hole  A  and  the  long  one 
G,  drawing,  and  forming  the  margin  around  it  at  B  B,  rounding 
one  end  and  notching  the  other  at  E,  cutting  off  the  piece,  and, 
lastly,  bending  the  notched  end  to  a  right  angle,  as  shown  at 
D.  All  this  is  accomplished  by  a  gang  of  punches  and  dies  of 


FIG.  89.  —  "FOLLOW  DIE  "  COMPLETE  FOR  PRODUCING 
THE  LATCH,  FIG.  86. 

the  "follow"  type.  The  metal  is  fed  through  the  die  auto- 
matically, and  as  the  press  is  inclined  the  finished  work  drops 
off  into  a  receptacle  at  the  back. 

The  die  is  shown  complete  in  Fig.  89,  while  Fig.  90  shows  a 
plan  of  the  punch  and  die.  The  die  plate  in  which  are  contained 
the  entire  gang  of  dies  (the  drawing  die  being  separated  and 
inserted  to  allow  of  grinding)  is  hardened  and  drawn  very  little, 
while  all  the  punches,  except  the  drawing  and  bending  punches, 
are  left  soft.  When  the  face  of  the  die  plate  is  ground  the  draw- 
ing die  also  is  removed  and  ground  on  the  bottom. 

The  manner  in  which  the  stock  is  fed  through  this  die,  and 
the  various  operations  performed  until  the^  finished  piece  drops 
off  at  the  back,  can  be  understood  from  Fig.  89,  in  which  is 
shown  a  strip  of  stock  lying  along  the  die  plate.  First,  the 


82 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


small  hole  A  and  the  long  one  C  are  pierced.  At  the  next 
.stroke  the  margin  B  B  is  drawn  and  formed,  and  end  D  is 
notched  at  E  by  the  cutting-off  and  end-finishing  punch.  At  the 
next  stroke  the  punch  descends  and  the  spring  pad  holds  the 
metal  securely  while  the  notched  end  is  being  bent  by  the  bending 
punch  and  the  finished  piece  cut  off. 

For  producing  the  part  shown  in  Fig.  87  a  die  of  the  same 
type  and  design  as  the  one  shown  in  Fig.  89  is  used,  the  only 
difference  being  in  the  construction  and  arrangement  of  the 


Piercing  Punches 


Plan  of  Punc 


(j]      © 


Gauge  Plate 


('Piercinj  Dieu^ 
(s)C  J 


*==*»= 

ening'  /. 


,f^\  Drawing  and  Flattening' 

(Cv)         Plan  of  Die  Die  (( 

^/  Gauge  Plate  N 


PIG.    90.— SHOWING   ARRANGEMENT    OF    PUNCHES   AND   DIBS   FOR  THE 
DIFFERENT   OPERATIONS. 

punches  and  dies  for  piercing  the  three  holes  G  G  G,  drawing  the 
rib  F  F  and  bending  the  end  H. 

As  shown  in  the  finished  hinge,  Fig.  88,  the  two  ends  of  the 
wire  are  formed  so  that  they  will  project  about  y%  inch  beyond 
the  side.  This  is  done  so  that  when  the  end  D  of  the  part  shown 
in  Fig.  86  is  curled  over  the  wire,  the  projecting  ends  of  the 
wire  will  locate  within  the  notch  E,  Fig.  86.  The  piece  will 
thus  be  fastened  permanently  to  one  portion,  and  the  other  will 
turn  on  the  wire. 

The  result  of  the  first  operation  in  the  production  of  this 
wire,  here  called  the  hinge,  is  shown  at  the  right  of  the  top  view 
in  Fig.  91. 

In  this  figure  are  also  shown  two  views  of  the  punch  and 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW      DIES.  83 

<lie  used  to  produce  this  result.  In  this  die  the  wire  is  fed  auto- 
matically from  a  reel,  and  a  piece  is  cut  off  and  bent  to  the 
shape  shown  at  the  right,  at  each  stroke  of  the  press.  In  the 
die,  L  is  the  bolster,  G  the  bending  die,  I  the  cutting  die,  and 
K  the  stripper,  while  H  is  the  plate  beneath  which  the  wire 
is  fed.  In  the  punch,  A  is  the  holder,  B  the  bending  punch,  E 
the  spring  pad  which  holds  the  wire  tightly  upon  the  die  while 
it  is  being  cut  and  bent,  and  C  the  spring.  The  lower  figure, 


FIG.    91. — PUNCH    AND    DIE    FOR   FIRST    OPERATION    ON    WIRE    HINGE. 


an  end  cross-section  of  the  punch  and  die,  shows  the  stripping 
arrangement.  As  the  punch  descends  the  stripper  or  knock-out 
R  is  drawn  backward  by  the  inclined  figure  N  engaging  the  pin 
M.  As  the  punch  ascends  the  knock-out  pin  R  plunges  out- 
ward, and,  as  the  press  is  inclined,  the  work  is  thrown  off  the 
punch  and  falls  down  the  inclined  way  into  a  box.  The  rapidity 
with  which  a  punch  and  die  of  this  type  can  be  worked,  when 


84 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


equipped  with  an  automatic  stripper  or  knock-out  of  this  con- 
struction and  an  automatic  feed,  is  astonishing. 

The  second  operation  on  the  hinge  is  by  the  punch  and  die, 


FIG.  92. — PUNCH   AND   DIE   FOR  SECOND   BEND,    SHOWING 
AUTOMATIC   STRIPPER. 


Fig.  92.  A  stripper  of  the  same  construction  as  in  Fig.  91  is  used, 
but,  as  will  be  seen,  conditions  are  reversed,  and  instead  of  the 
stripper  being  fastened  and  located  upon  the  die  it  is  upon  the 
punch,  while  the  inclined  finger  by  which  it  is  worked  is  located 


GANG      AND 


DIES. 


upon  the  back  of  the  die  bolster.  The  punch  consists  of  the 
holder  S,  the  bending  punch  T  and  the  stripper  X.  In  the  die, 
Z  is  the  bolster,  W  the  bending  die,  VV  the  two  adjustable 
gage  plates,  between  which  the  work  U  is  located,  and  Y  Y  the 
inclined  fingers  which  work  the  stripper. 

When  in  use  the  wire  as  bent  in  the  first  operation  is  placed 


FIG.  93. — LAST   BENDING  OPERATION. 


between  the  gage  plates  V  V.  The  punch  descending  strikes 
the  wire  and  bends  it  into  the  die,  while  the  ends  spring  upward 
and  hug  the  punch,  thus  producing  the  shape  shown  at  the  left. 
As  the  punch  ascends  the  knock-out  pin  X  hits  the  work  and 
it  is  thrown  off  the  punch. 

The  means  used  for  the  third  operation  on  the  wire  hinge 
are  shown  in  Figs.  93  and  94.     In  Fig.  93  the  work  is  in  position 

x 

ERSiTY   I 


86 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


as  it  appears  before  the  punch  descends.  In  this  figure  are  also 
shown  plans  of  the  punch  and  die.  Fig.  94  is  a  cross-section  of 
the  working  parts  of  the  punch  and  die  as  they  appear  when 
the  punch  has  descended  and  the  work  is  finished. 

The  punch  consists  of  a  machine-steel  holder  J,  the  face  of 
which  is  dovetailed  at  K  K  to  admit  the  two  tool-steel  forming 
slides  M  M,  which  have  a  stiff  spring  between  them  at  N.  L  L 
are  the  stop  screws  for  the  slides,  which  are  forced  against 
them  by  the  spring  at  N.  The  slides  are  hardened  and  tempered. 

In  the  die  Q  is  the  bolster  in  which  the  tool-steel  locator  O 
is  fastened,  and  the  adjustable  roller  brackets  S  S  are  located. 
The  rollers  R  R  are  of  tool  steel,  hardened  and  ground.  The 
work  is  fed  to  the  die  and  removed  when  finished  by  a  fork  in 
the  hands  of  the  operator. 

For  the   last  operation   in   the   production  of  these  articles, 


FIG.  94. — SHOWING  COMPLETION  OF  THE  BEND. 

that  of  "wiring"  the  bent  ends  of  the  sheet  metal  portions  around 
the  wire  hinge,  a  punch  and  die  of  a  decidedly  novel  design  are 
used,  shown  in  Fig.  95.  This  is  a  heavy  bolster  with  a  standard 
at  each  end  as  bearings  for  the  shaft  of  an  octagon  die,  which 
is  made  with  eight  locating  surfaces  for  the  work  to  allow  the 
press  being  run  continually  and  the  work  being  located  upon 
the  surfaces  by  the  operator  without  the  danger  of  clipping  his 
fingers.  The  die  is  rotated  automatically  by  a  combination  of 
an  index  wheel,  a  pawl  and  connecting  rod,  one  end  of  the  rod 
being  attached  to  an  adjustable  stud  in  the  T-slot  in  the  press 
shaft,  and  the  other  as  shown.  The  manner  in  which  the  work 
is  located  and  finished  can  be  seen  in  the  front  view,  in  which 
are  shown  three  hinges  in  position,  the  lower  one  being  the 
one  last  located  by  the  operator  and  the  top  one  as  being  "wired" 
and  finished  by  the  punch.  As  the  octagon  die  is  rotated  the 
finished  work  is  carried  away  from  the  die  and  drops  off  at 


§7 

the  back,  while  the  next  one  is  then  ready  and  fed  to  position 
directly  beneath  the  punch. 

By  the  use  of  this  set  of  dies  hinges  of  the  type  shown  are 


produced  to  sell  for  one  cent  apiece.     Twelve  sets,  each  set  con- 
sisting of  a  hinge,  latch  and  hasp,  are  sold  for  thirty  cents. 


05  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

An  Automatic  Combination  Piercing,  Bending  and  Tztisting  Die 
for  Box  Corner  Fasteners. 

The  pieces  shown  in  half-tone,  Fig.  96,  are  sheet  metal  box 
corner  fasteners.  They  are  produced  at  a  cost  so  small  that 
they  are  used  instead  of  nails  or  screws.  The  manner  in 


FIG.  96. — BOX   FASTENERS. 

which   they    are   used   is    shown    in    Fig.    97.      The    fastener    is 
held  against  one  side  of  the  box  by  hand  and  points  are  driven 


FIG.  97. — HOW  THE   BOX   FASTENERS   ARE   APPLIED. 

into  the  wood.  The  fastener  is  then  bent  at  right  angles  and 
the  points  in  the  other  end  are  driven  into  the  other  side  of  the 
box1. 


"GANG"  AND  "FOLLOW"  DIES. 


89 


The  half-tones  show  fasteners  of  two  different  types.  The 
longer  one  has  three  prongs  projecting  straight  at  each  end, 
while  the  short  one  has  four  prongs  at  each  end,  and  where  in 
the  longer  one  the  prongs  are  straight,  in  the  other  they  are 
twisted  to  an  angle  of  45  degrees.  Fasteners  of  this  last  type 
are  used  for  heavier  boxes  than  the  others,  the  greater  number 
of  prongs  and  the  twist  in  them  making  it  a  much  stronger 
fastener. 

The  die  here  shown  is  used  for  making  the  short  fasteners 


i   T  '    r  rf 


H              i 

.,_,„,,......  .,-.  :....J—  • 

1  N 

LTjTjL 

M  MLM. 

FIG.  98.— COMBINATION   PIERCING,    BENDING   AND   TWISTING   PUNCH   AND   DIE. 

direct  and  complete  from  a  roll  of  metal.  The  various  opera- 
tions are  accomplished  in  the  "follow"  order.  That  is,  first  the 
holes  are  pierced  and  the  prongs  are  bent  up,  then  the  prongs 
are  twisted  to  the  .angle  required,  and,  lastly,  the  ends  are 
rounded  and  a  finished  fastener  is  cut  off.  The  manner  in  which 
these  different  operations  are  accomplished  and  the  relative  loca- 
tion of  the  means  used  for  each  can  be  seen  in  the  sectional 
view,  Fig.  98.  In  this  die  the  usual  conditions  are  reversed,  and 
the  "punch"  as  usually  applied  is  the  "die"  and  the  die  the 


9O  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

punch;  so  instead  of  calling  them  by  their  usual  names  we  will 
refer  to  them  as  the  upper  and  lower  sections  respectively,  the 
section  in  the  press  bolster  the  lower  section. 

In  the  upper  section  A  is  the  holder,  of  machine  steel.  A 
forging  E  is  the  holder  and  carrier  for  the  piercing  and  bending 
die  plate  I,  in  which  are  located  the  eight  piercing  and  bending 
dies  J  and  K.  The  construction  of  this  portion  of  the  upper 
section  is  such  as  to  allow  the  die  to  descend  and  strike  the 
metal  and  then  remain  stationary  while  the  holes  are  being 
pierced  and  the  prongs  bent  up  into  the  dies  by  the  gage  of 


PIG.  99. — END   VIEW  SHOWING  SUB-PUKCH   MOVEMENT. 

punches  in  the  lower  section,  at  the  same  time  the  rest  of  the  up- 
per section  continues  to  descend  and  perform  the  other  two  opera- 
tions on  the  advanced  sections  of  the  stock.  The  portion  H,  in 
the  upper  section,  is  the  holder  proper  for  the  die  plate  B  B,  in 
which  the  eight  twisting  dies  L  and  M  are  located  and  the  end 
finishing  and  cutting-off  punch  N.  The  holder  H  is  held  in  a 
dovetailed  channel  and  permanently  located  in  alignment  with 
the  lower  section  by  a  large  taper  pin  D. 

In  the  lower  section  O  acts  as  the  die  plate  for  the  cutting 
die  A  A,  and  also  as  the  stripping  plate  for  the  eight  piercing 


GANG      AND      FOLLOW      DIES.  QF 

and  bending  punches  Q  and  R.  These  eight  punches  are  located 
in  what  might  be  called  a  sub-punch  holder  located  under  O  in 
a  large  hole  in  the  bolster  and  worked  up  and  down  automatically 
on  two  hardened  and  ground  steel  studs  T  T  at  a  set  of  connect- 
ing levers,  as  shown  in  the  end  views,  Fig.  99.  All  the  parts 
used  in  this  arrangement  are  of  steel,  the  holder  U  and  the  three 
levers  and  bracket  (which  is  fastened  to  the  back  of  the  ram) 
being  forgings.  The  punch  plate  or  pad  S  is  fastened  upon  the 
sub-holder  U  by  two  dowels  and  four  flat-head  screws,  as  shown 


FIG.   100. — PLAN   OF  UPPER  AND   LOWER  SECTIONS  OF  FIG.    98. 

in  the  plate  Fig.  100.  The  die  plates  I  and  B  B  also  are  fastened, 
upon  their  respective  holders  in  the  same  manner.  The  eight 
piercing  and  bending  dies  are  finished  with  about  .003  inch  clear- 
ance, and  the  die  plate  is  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  light  straw 
temper.  The  eight  twisting  dies  are  simply  eight  narrow  slits 
which  are  let  through  the  die  plate  B  B  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees 
with  the  front  of  the  plate.  The  edges  of  these  dies  are 
slightly  rounded  so  that  the  points  of  the  prongs  will  enter  them 
with  ease.  The  die  plate  B  B  is  hardened  and  drawn  slightly,  so- 
as  to  leave  it  as  hard  as  possible.  The  end-finishing  and  cutting- 


92  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

off  punch  N  is  let  into  the  holder  H  and  upset  and  riveted  at 
the  back.  The  eight  piercing  and  bending  punches  Q  and  R 
are  inclined  slightly  on  the  cutting  face  and  the  back  ends  are 
rounded  so  that  they  will  bend  the  prongs  up  into  the  dies ;  the 
faces  of  the  punches  are  one  thickness  of  metal  shorter  than 
the  dies,  so  as  to  allow  for  bending. 

The  manner  in  which  this  die  is  used  for  the  production  of 
the  fasteners  with  the  twisted  prongs  is  as  follows :  The  strip  of 
metal  is  shown  at  X,  Fig.  98.  At  the  first  stroke  of  the  press 
the  eight  prongs  are  pierced  and  bent  upward  by  the  sub-punches 
Q  and  R.  The  strip  of  metal  is  then  fed  along  until  the  eight 
prongs  are  in  the  positions  shown  at  Y,  and  at  the  next  stroke 
they  are  twisted,  and  the  first  end  of  the  fastener  is  rounded 
and  trimmed  by  the  punch  N.  At  the  next  stroke  the  finished 
part  is  cut  off  and  at  each  succeeding  stroke  a  complete  fastener 
is  produced. ,  A  die  of  the  same  design  as  this  is  used  to  produce 
the  long  fastener.  It  differs  from  it  only  in  that  there  is  no 
twisting  operation  provided  for.  The  end  view,  Fig.  99,  shows 
the  automatic  arrangement  by  which  the  sub-punches  are  worked. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    ADAPTATION    AND    USE   OF    SIMPLE   DIES    AND    PRESS    FIXTURES 
FOR  THE  ECONOMIC  PRODUCTION  OF  SHEET  METAL  PARTS. 

The  Power  Press  in  Agricultural  Machine  Work. 

To  anyone  who  has  had  the  privilege  of  going  through  one 
of  the  various  shops  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  agricultural 
machinery,  or  of  working  in  one  for  any  length  of  time,  the  fact 
is  evident  that  in  them  machine  manufacturing  has  reached  a 


FIG.    101. — PRESS   FOR    PUNCHING   68   HOLES. 

point  far  ahead  of  the  general  run  of  machine  practice.  In. 
mowing  and  reaping  machines  a  majority  of  the  parts  are  of 
flat  or  round  stock,  fastened  and  assembled  by  riveting,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  wheels  for  such  machines,  the  only  cast  part  of 
which  is  the  hub. 

During  the  summer  of  1901  the  author  had  the  good  fortune 
to  spend  some  time  in  the  shops  of  one  of  the  largest  agri- 
cultural manufacturing  establishments  in  the  United  States, 
and  while  there  he  was  struck  by  the  methods  of  manu- 
facture ;  so  much  so  that  he  made  note  of  a  number  of 


94  DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

things  which  were  interesting.  The  thing  which  impressed 
him  the  most  was  the  rapidity  with  which  the  work  was  handled, 
sent  through  the  different  operations  and  assembled.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem  the  quickest  and  most  satisfactory  results  and 
the  most  ingenious  attachments  and  fixtures  for  the  production 
-of  the  parts  were  accomplished  by  and  used  in  the  power  press. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  wheels  for  the  mowing  and  reaping 
machines.  The  tires  for  these  wheels  are  of  ribbed  soft  iron. 
They  are  first  cut  off  to  the  required  length,  and  then  have 
the  holes  for  the  spokes,  straps  and  fastening  rivets  punched  in 
them.  This  in  itself  is  an  interesting  operation  and  goes  to 


FIG.    102.— PRESS  FOR   PERFORATING    HARVESTER  TIRES,    PUNCHING 
OVER    TOO   HOLES. 

show  the  large  scale  on  which  press  work  and  punching  is  carried 
on  in  these  shops.  The  tires  before  being  rolled  are  almost 
10  feet  long  by  7  inches  wide  and  %  inch  thick,  and  the  num- 
ber of  holes  runs  from  eighty-one  to  ninety-three,  all  punched 
at  one  stroke  of  the  press.  The  design  and  construction  of  the 
punches  and  dies  for  these  tires  entail  a  lot  of  accurate  work, 
the  punches  being  so  placed  and  finished  as  to  make  the  punching 
of  the  holes  successive.  The  diameter  of  the  holes  is  usually 
y%  inch,  and  when  it  is  considered  that  ninety-three  of  them 
are  punched  through  %-inch  stock  at  one  stroke  of  the  press 
the  size  and  construction  of  the  press  can  be  imagined  (see  Fig. 
102).  In  this  operation  on  the  tires  there  was  one  little  kink 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION. 


95 


which  was  particularly  novel  and  labor-saving.  The  holes  in 
the  tires,  into  which  the  spokes  are  to  be  entered  and  riveted, 
are  so  punched  as  to  be  larger  on  one  side  than  on  the  other; 
so  that  when  the  spokes  are  upset  and  riveted,  the  larger  portion 
of  the  hole  will  be  on  the  outside  of  the  tire,  and  when  the  spoke 
is  upset  it  fills  in  the  hole  and  is  finished  flush  with  the  tire, 
thereby  fastening  it  permanently  without  the  possibility  of  pull- 
ing out,  and  doing  away  with  the  necessity  of  countersinking, 
which  would  require  another  operation.  This  peculiarity  of  the 


FIG.    103. — RIVETING   CLEATS   ON   HARVESTER   WHEEL   TIRES. 


lioles  is  accomplished  by  making  the  dies  somewhat  larger  than 
the  punches. 

After  the  holes  have  been  punched  in  the  tire  it  is  rolled 
to  the  required  radius  and  the  ends  are  brought  together  and 
fastened  by  riveting  a  wide  strap  en  the  inside.  The  spokes 
are  then  entered  into  the  holes,,  the  two  sections  of  the  malleable 
iron  hub  are  trued  and  fastened  to  them,  and  the  ends  of  the 
spokes  riveted  within  the  tire  (-see  Fig.  103).  The  cross  straps 
are  then  fastened  to  the  outside  of  the  tire,  the  hub  is  set  and 
riveted  and  the  wheel  is  complete.  The  different  operations  on 
the  parts  (except  the  hub)  and  the  assembling  and  fastening 


96  DIES,   THEIR  CONSTRUCTION    AND   USE. 

of  them  together  are  all  done  in  the  power  press,  no  screws  being- 
used,  all  parts  being  riveted  throughout.  The  foreman  of  the 
department  in  which  the  wheels  were  constructed  told  the  author 
that  the  capacity  of  the  department  was  200  wheels  for  a  day 
of  ten  hours,  making  the  time  for  the  complete  finishing  of 
each  wheel  three  minutes,  which  is,  to  say  the  least,  rapid  pro- 
duction indeed,  and  to  those  who  have  never  seen  it  done  well- 
nigh  impossible,  while  to  those  standing  by  and  watching  them 
being  manufactured  it  is  wonderful. 

Punching  a  Mild  Steel  Strap. 

As  a  simple  instance  of  the  use  to  which  the  power  press 
is  put  in  these  shops  we  show  in  Fig.  104  two  views  of  a  mild 
steel  strap  finished  complete  to  the  shape  shown,  i.  e.,  piercing 

the  hole  A  at  either  end,  cutting 


nesting  Strap  as  Finished  .la.  the  Power  PglK  Qff      J-Q      ^g      reqUired      length 

iid  steel  H'thick     IH"  ^de     &j'  \o*sj       finishing  the  ends  to  the  radius 

shown  in  one  operation.     These 


FIG.  104.  straps   are  used,   when  finished, 

on  the  wheel  tires,  there  being 

sixteen  to  each  tire ;  the  straps  after  being  punched  being  formed 
in  a  separate  operation  to  conform  to  the  curve  of  the  outside 
of  the  tire  in  such  a  manner  as  to  allow  of  their  being  fastened 
at  an  angle  of  45  degrees  with  the  sides  of  them.  The  straps 
for  the  tire  are  finished  to  6^4  inches  long,  but  as  a  number  of 
different  lengths  of  straps,  with  holes  in  the  same  position  and 
of  the  same  size,  are  required  for  other  parts  of  the  machine, 
the  one  punch  and  die  is  constructed  to  allow  it  to  be  used  for 
all  of  them.  The  design  and  construction  of  this  punch  and 
die  are  clearly  shown  in  the  vertical  cross-section  and  in  the 
plan  of  the  die,  Fig.  105.  The  steel  used  for  the  die  T  is  of  the 
half-iron  and  half-steel  brand,  and,  as  shown,  is  quite  heavy. 
The  use  of  this  composite  steel  and  iron  for  dies  for  punching 
heavy  stock  tends  to  the  longevity  of  the  die,  and  also  gives 
better  results  when  hardening,  reducing  the  shrinkage  to  the 
minimum,  and  overcoming  as  far  as  possible  the  tendency  to 
warp  or  crack.  The  stripping  plate  S  is  of  heavy  mild  steel 
and  is  fastened  (together  with  the  gage  plate  O)  to  the  die 
by  means  of  two  cap  screws  M  M,  and  located  by  the  two  dowels 
N  N.  The  holes  in  the  stripper  for  the  two  piercing  punches 
are  countersunk,  as  shown,  to  allow  the  piercing  punches  to  be 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION. 


97 


as  short  as  possible.  The  gage  plate  is  of  7-16  stock,  planed  on 
all  sides  and  long  enough  to  extend  out  from  the  left  end  of 
the  die  13  inches.  It  has  a  slot  cut  down  through  the  center 
at  P,  to  admit  the  sliding  stop  R,  which  is  fastened  by  the  cap 
screw  Q,  thus  allowing  of  adjusting  the  stop  for  different  lengths 
of  straps. 


Section  of  Punch  and  Uie 


Adjustable  Stop- 
Adjustment,' 


FIG.    105. — DIE   FOR   PIERCING   AND    CUTTING    OFF    HEAVY   STOCK. 

The  punch  shown  in  Fig.  105  is  made  as  rigid  as  possible, 
the  cutting-off  and  finishing  punch  C,  and  the  holder  B, 
being  a  forging,  the  punch  proper  of  tool  steel  and  the  holder 
of  mild  steel.  The  two  piercing  punches  G  and  F  respectively 
are  of  ^g-inch  round  annealed  tool  steel,  let  into  the  holder  as 
shown  and  fastened  by  the  set  screws  E  E  and  the  little  inclined 


98  DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION   AND   USE. 

faced  plugs  which  bear  against  the  angular  notch  in  the  side  of 
the  punch.  All  punches  for  heavy  stock,  of  the  construction 
shown,  should  be  fastened  in  this  manner,  as  it  is  impossible  for 
them  to  pull  out.  The  small  holes  D  D,  in  the  back  of  the 
holder,  are  let  in  to  allow  of  removing  the  piercing  punches  with 
ease.  The  two  piercing  punches  are  made  one  thickness  of 
metal  longer  than  the  cutting-off  and  finishing  punch  C,  so  that 
the  holes  in  the  work  will  have  been  pierced,  and  the  punches 
entered  the  dies,  before  the  cutting-off  punch  performs  its  opera- 
tion. This  insures  the  rigid  holding  of  the  metal  and  the  accu- 
rate sizing  of  the  straps,  and,  also,  as  it  makes  the  punching 
of  the  work  successive,  the  strain  on  the  press  and  the  tools  is 
reduced.  The  punches  are  made  so  that  the  cutting-off  punch 
is  a  trifle  loose  in  its  die  and  the  two  piercing  punches  very 
much  so.  This  leaves  the  two  holes  in  the  strap  considerably 
larger  on  one  side  than  on  the  other,  this  being  necessary  in 
order  to  allow  of  the  rivets  filling  out  and  finishing  flush  with 
the  strap  when  they  are  fastened  to  the  tires. 

When  the  die  is  in  use  the  adjustable  stop  R  is  set  to  take  in 
the  length  required,  and  the  metal  to  be  punched  (which  comes 
in  20  foot  lengths)  is  fed  along  a  guide-way,  under  the  stripping 
plate  S,  and  held  snugly  against  the  gage  plate  O,  allowing  the 
end  to  project  half  way  over  the  finishing  and  cutting-off  die. 
At  the  first  stroke  of  the  press,  the  end  of  the  stock  is  pierced 
and  then  trimmed  and  finished.  It  is  then  fed  along  and  against 
the  stop  R,  and  at  each  succeeding  stroke  a  complete  strap  is 
produced.  Before  punching,  both  sides  of  the  stock  are 
"slushed,"  which  makes  the  cutting  clean  and  leaves  the  ends  of 
the  straps  without  burrs. 

Seeing  Power  Presses  at  Work. 

To  the  practical  man,  the  sight  of  parts  (of  which  the  above 
is  a  sample)  being  produced  by  punching,  starts  him  wondering 
why  this  machine  tool,  the  power  press,  has  not  been  adopted 
more  extensively,  not  only  in  the  manufacturing  shops  but  in  the 
jobbing  shops.  When  it  is  considered  that  tools  and  fixtures  are 
being  constantly  designed  and  constructed  for  the  finishing  of 
parts  by  milling  and  drilling,  which  could  be  accomplished  in  the 
power  press  in  half  the  time  by  dies  of  the  simplest  and  most  in- 
expensive construction,  the  failure  to  do  so  is  astonishing.  In 
fact  there  are  any  number  of  parts  for  various  machines  and  at- 


DIES  AND  PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.         99 


I.— Regular  Punching  Attachment.  2.— Punching  Attachment  for  Punching  Beams, 
Channels,  etc.  3.— Stake  Punching  Attachment  for  Punching  Flanged  Heads.  4.— Stake 
Punching  Attachment  for  Punching  Angles.  5.— Flue  and  Hand-hole  Punching  Attach- 
ment. 6. — Man-hole  Punching  Attachment.  7. — Plate  Shearing  Attachment.  8. — Bar 
Shearing  Attachment.  9.— Angle  Shearing  Attachment.  10.— Bending  and  Straighten- 
ing Attachment,  n.— Coping  Attachment.  12.— Slotting  Attachment. 

Attachments  for  Cleveland  Punch  and  Shear  Works  Co.  Presses. 
FIG.      106. — ATTACHMENTS     FOR     HEAVY     PRESS     WORK. 


100 


DIES,   THEIR  CONSTRUCTION    AND   USE. 


tachments  which  are  used  in  large  quantities  being  manufactured 
by  other  means,  which  could  be  produced  at  half  the  cost,  and  to 
a  finer  degree  of  interchangeability,  by  means  of  simple  dies  and 
fixtures  in  the  power  press.  The  lightness  and  fine  finished  ap- 
pearance of  sheet-metal  blanks,  and  the  strength  and  stiffness  of 
formed-drawn  or  bent  blanks  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the 
machines  or  appliances  to  which  they  are  affixed,  and  in  many 
cases  improve  the  working  qualities  as  well.  ^ 

It  is  really  too  bad  that  business  reasons  and  certain  secrets 
of  manufacture  make  it  almost  impossible  for  a  stranger  to  get 
the  privilege  of  going  through  establishments  devoted  to  the 
manufacture  of  agricultural  machinery,  and  that  they  are  so  con- 
servative about  admitting  anyone  to  their  plants,  as,  were  it 
otherwise,  it  would  pay  anyone  who  is  interested  in  the  manu- 
facturing of  machinery  to  pay  them  a  visit ;  for  in  them  modern 
manufacturing  is  carried  on  in  a  manner  which  is  far  ahead  of 
other  lines,  both  as  to  cheapness  in  production  and  as  to  the  effi- 
ciency and  working  qualities  of  the  output. 

Piercing,   Forming   and  Punching   Heazy  Blanks   in    One 

Operation. 
The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  107.  108  and  109  are  used 


FIG.   lOJ. — PUNCH   AND   DIE   FOR   HEAVY  STOCK. 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       IOI 

for  producing  pierced  blanks  from  heavy  sheet  metal,  piercing, 
forming  and  blanking  them  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  no,  in 
one  operation.  The  principle  is  the  same  as  shown  in  Fig.  26, 
except  that  it  is  adapted  for  the  working  of  heavy  stock. 

The  blank,  as  shown  in  Fig.   no,  is  of  ^4 -inch  cold-rolled 


FIG.    I08. — PLAN   OP   PUNCH. 

stock  with  holes  pierced  at  C  C.  The  construction  of  the  punch 
and  die  is  shown  clearly  in  the  engravings  and  very  little  de- 
scription is  necessary.  As  shown,  the  die  is  of  the  usual  con- 
struction except  for  the  two  piercing  dies  G  G,  which  are  hard- 


o" 


K   / 


M. 


o 


FIG.    109. — PLAN  OF  DIE. 

ened  and  ground  steel  bushings  forced  into  counter-bored  holes 
in  the  die  plate  O,  as  shown. 

When  punching  heavy  stock  it  is  necessary  to  have  all 
punches  secured  in  the  holder  as  rigidly  as  possible.  The  best 
way  is  to  have  the  stem  or  holder  and  the  blanking  punch  in  one ; 
that  is,  a  forging  of  mild  steel  with  the  portion  for  the  punch  of 


IO2 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION   AND   USE. 


tool  steel,  as  shown  at  U  and  P,  Fig.  107,  and  the  piercing; 
punches  let  into  holes  and  fastened  with  set  screws  as  shown  at 
R  R.  By  allowing  the  piercing  punches  Q  Q  to  fit  tightly  within 
the  stripper  they  are  strengthened  and  held  rigidly  while  piercing 
the  metal. 

This  principle  of  bending  blanks  by  beveling  the  face  of  the 
punch   to  the  shape   desired,   is  practical   for  producing  blanks 

which  are  to  be  bent  and  formed  to 
simple  shapes,  and  eliminates  the  ne- 
cessity of  a  second  operation.  The 
shearing  of  the  punch  also  helps  the 
die  as  it  reduces  cutting  surface  and 
strengthens  it.  When  heavy  stock  is  to 
be  punched  and  the  blanks  are  desired 
to  come  out  flat,  it  is  necessary  to 
reverse  matters  and  shear  the  die,  as 
the  blank  will  always  follow  the  face 
of  the  punch.  When  shearing  either 

pun'ch  cr  die,  it  should  always  be  done  so  as  to  allow  the  extreme 
ends  of  the  punch  to  enter  the  die  first.  In  shapes  where  this  is 
not  possible,  allow  the  center  to  enter  first. 

Making  Pinions  and  Racks  by  Punching. 

The  pieces  shown  in  Figs,  in  and  112  are  a  small  brass  gear 
and  a  rack  respectively.     The  gear  was  made  from  sheet  brass 


FIG.  no. 


FIG.    III. — RACK. 


FIG.    112. — PINION. 


5-64  inch  thick  and  was  to  be  drawn  to  the  shape  shown,  cupped 
J/s  inch  deep,  with  a  l/$  hole  punched  in  the  center  for  the  shaft. 
The  rack  was  also  of  sheet  brass  of  the  same  thickness  3-16  inch 
wide  by  i^  inches  long.  The  pitch  of  the  rack  was  to  be  the 
same  as  that  of  the  gear,  and  they  were  to  be  used  on  a  small  au- 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTI0N.       IO3 


A 

p=3 

ES3 

>—  -^ 

r-. 

G 

I    B 

1  -r 

i          1 

1 

J--J 

i                  r 

n   \ 

i 

! 

ID! 

1    U 

c 

L_ 

J 

1  1 

Punch 


tomatic  music  box.     They  were  both  made  and  finished  in  the 
power  press. 

As  shown  in  Fig.  113  the  punch  and  die  for  the  pinion  are  of 
"gang"  type.  In  the  die  N  is  the  cupping  die,  M  the  piercing  die 
and  J  the  blanking  die.  In  the  punch,  A  is  the  holder,  B  the 
punch  plate,  C  the  cupping  punch,  D  the  piercing  punch  and  E 
the  blanking  punch.  The  con- 
struction is  plain  and  requires  no 
description. 

Fig.  114  shows  the  punch  and 
die  for  the  rack.  In  the  punch, 
P  is  the  holder,  Q  the  punch 
plate  and  R  the  punch,  with  the 
face  sheared  as  shown  at  S.  The 
punch  was  hardened  and  drawn 
high.  The  die  is  shown  in  two 
views  below  the  punch.  It  con- 
sists of  the  die  proper  T,  which, 
after  being  roughed  out,  was 
broached  and  finished  by  the 
punch.  It  was  also  hardened  and 
tempered.  U  is  the  gage  plate, 
which  was  worked  out  so  as  to 
just  accommodate  the  blank,  as 
shown,  leaving  it  projecting 
about  .002  above  the  gage  plate. 
V  is  the  lock  or  binding  strap, 
which  swings  on  the  shoulder 
screw  W.  When  in  use,  the 
blank  is  placed  in  the  gage  plate 
U,  the  binding  strap  V  is  swung 
and  hooked  on  the  screw  X, 
causing  the  blank  to  be  held  flat 
and  firm  while  the  punch  de- 
scends, shearing  and  cutting,  gradually,  thereby  producing  a  rack 
with  clean  teeth  of  the  proper  shape,  and  leaving  no  burrs. 

This  is  a  very  rapid  way  of  doing  such  work,  and  the  tools 
are  easy  to  set  up  and  easy  to  operate.  Making  the  rack  punch 
shearing,  causes  it  to  cut  gradually ;  in  fact,  if  the  punch  had 
been  left  straight,  the  result  would  have  been  different.  Instead 
of  the  teeth  of  the  rack  being  flat  and  nearly  square  at  the  edge, 


FIG.    113. — PINION   DIE. 


IO4 


DIES,   THEIR  CONSTRUCTION   AND   USE. 


they  would  have  come  out  half-round  and  ragged.  This  type  of 
die  has  been  found  to  give  very  good  results  in  a  large  variety  of 
work  where  the  edges  were  desired  to  be  anywhere  near  square, 
and  where  the  stock  punched  was  over  1-16  inch  thick.  There  is 


FIG.    114. — PUNCH   AND   DIE)  FOR   RACK. 

a  lot  of  small  work  of  this  kind  being  done  in  the  milling  ma- 
chine, which  could  be  done  better  in  the  press  with  better  results 
and  at  one-fifth  the  cost. 

A  Set  of  Dies  for  a  Funnel  Ended  Tube. 
The  finished  product  of  this  set  of  dies  is  shown  in  Fig.  115. 


DIES  AND  PRESS   FIXTURES  FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       10$ 

It  is  of  a  rather  intricate  and  novel  shape,  necessitating  care  and 
skill  in  the  rinding  and  finishing  of  a  perfect  templet  or  master 
blank,  and  in  the  construction  of  the  piercing  and  blanking  die. 


D;    D 


FIG.  115. — LAST  OPERATION.     FIG.  Il6. — SECOND  OPERATION. 

Here  is  a  tube  with  two  funnel  shaped  ends  which  swell  out  at 
one  side  at  E  E.  It  is  in  the  perfect  closing  in  and  forming  of 
these  funnel  ends  that  the  real  work  in  the  finding  of  the  blank 
comes  in,  as  there  should  be  a  perfect  joint  along  the  entire 


FIG.    117. — DIE  FOR  FIRST  BEND. 

length  of  the  tube.  When  finished  there  were  required  to  be 
three  holes  F  F  F  in  the  body  of  the  tube,  each  a  perfect  circle 
.and  all  of  the  same  diameter.  To  attain  these  results  the  piercing 


io6 


DIES,    THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


and  blanking  die  must  of  course  be  perfect,  and  the  blanks  pro- 
duced in  it  interchangeable.  It  is  in  the  construction  of  this  die 
that  particular  attention  is  called  to  the  various  practical  points 
which  are  necessary  for  its  successful  working. 

In  sheet-metal  work  of  this  type,  the  first  things  to  be  settled 
are  the  thickness  of  metal  to  be  used  and  the  shape  and  size  to 
which  it  is  to  be  formed.  We  are  then  ready  to  go  ahead  with 
the  forming  dies,  leaving  the  piercing  and  blanking  die  until 
these  have  been  finished.  The  forming  of  the  blank  is  accom- 
plished in  two  operations,  both  of  which  are  simple.  The  first 
consists  of  forming  the  blank  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  116, 
throwing  up  the  sides  D  D  and  forming  the  bottom  of  the  entire 
length  to  a  perfect  half-circle  of  3-16  inch  radius.  The  punch 


FIG.   Il8. — DIE  FOR  LAST  BEND. 


FIG. 


and  die  for  this  operation  are  shown  in  Fig.  117,  and  those  used 
for  the  finishing  operation  in  Figs.  118  and  119.  As  they  are 
of  the  simplest  design  and  construction,  very  little  description  is 
required. 

In  the  punch  for  the  first  forming  operation,  X  is  the  holder 
and  Y  the  punch.  This  punch  is  of  tool  steel,  with  the  face  fin- 
ished to  a  half-circle  of  3-16  radius.  It  is  hardened  and  drawn 
from  the  back,  leaving  the  face  very  hard  ^  inch  from  the 
edge,  the  remaining  portion  a  dark  blue.  It  is  driven  tightly 
within  the  holder,  which  tapers  about  one  degree,  thereby  holding 
the  punch  tightly  without  set-screws. 

The  die  is  a  forging,  the  base  of  mild  steel  and  the  face  C  C 
of  tool  steel,  the  forming  portion  of  the  die  proper  being  finished 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES  FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       IOJ 

as  shown  at  D  D  in  width  and  diameter  two  thicknesses  of 
metal  larger  than  the  punch.  The  working  portions  of  both 
punch  and  die  were  lapped  smooth  and  highly  polished  after 
hardening  to  avoid  marking  the  work.  A  A  is  the  gage  plate 
for  locating  the  blank.  As  this  punch  and  die  can  be  finished 
without  trial  formings  and  with  the  certainty  that  they  will  per- 
form the  operation  required,  they  can  be  laid  aside  until  the  punch 
and  die  for  the  last  operation  has  been  finished. 

The  stripping  arrangement  for  this  punch  and  die  (not 
shown  in  the  engravings)  consists  of  the  usual  spring  shoulder 
pins,  there  being  three  in  the  die  and  two  in  the  punch,  all  being 
let  in  from  the  back  and  the  faces  finished  to  coincide  with  the 
circular  portions  of  the  punch  and  die  respectively,  and  hardened. 
By  finishing  the  sides  of  the  die  D  D 
slightly  taper,  so  as  to  be  larger  at  the 
top,  thereby  causing  the  sides  of  the 
blank  to  hug  the  punch,  the  work  when 
formed  rises  with  the  punch,  and  as  it 
gets  above  the  stripper  pins  of  the  die  it 
is  stripped  from  the  punch  by  the  two 
stripper  pins  in  the  face. 

The  punch  and  die  for  a  finishing 
operation  on  a  piece  of  this  kind  is 
shown  in  Figs.  118  and  119,  and  for  it 
the  author  is  indebted  to  an  article  by 

Mr.     B.    ].    Dougherty,    of    Brooklyn,  FIG.  120. THE 

N .    Y.,     in    the     American     Machinist.  BLANK. 

As    the   engravings    explain   themselves, 

a  bare  description  of  the  principal  parts  will  suffice.  As  shown, 
the  tools  are  made  on  practically  the  same  lines  as  those 
for  the  first  operation  and,  except  for  the  horn,  consist  of  but 
two  parts,  the  die  and  the  punch.  This  die  requires  no  gage 
plate  as  the  shape  of  the  article  to  be  formed,  because  the  flat 
spots  on  the  sides  of  the  funnel-shaped  ends  give  excellent  op- 
portunity to  gage  and  support  the  metal  while  being  formed  in 
the  die  itself,  and  also  prevent  the  work  from  turning  or  shift- 
ing in  the  die  while  the  finishing  is  being  accomplished.  The 
perspective  drawing  of  the  tools  shows  the  construction  of  the 
punch  and  die,  while  the  section  at  the  upper  right  hand  corner 
shows  the  work  located  and  the  punch  descending.  The  other 
drawing  shows  a  detail  of  the  parts.  A  is  the  front  gage  to 


io8 


DIES,    THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


support  the  loose  part  of  the  horn,  and  B  is  the  short  part  of  the 
horn  secured  to  the  back  of  the  die.  With  one  end  of  the  horn 
fastened  to  the  die,  as  shown,  and  the  other  held  all  the  time 
in  the  right  hand,  the  left  hand  is  free  to  pull  the  finished  tube 
off,  and  put  another  blank  in  the  die. 

The  finding  of  the  correct  blank  for  the  piercing  and  blank- 
ing die,  was  successfully  accomplished  by  making  a  number  of 
templets  and  forming  and  finishing  them  in  the  two  dies,  and 


FIG.  121. — DIE  FOR  THE  BLANK. 

noting  where  there  was  excess  metal  or  not  enough.  When  find- 
ing the  blank  the  locating  of  the  circular  portions  at  B  B  B  was 
not  bothered  with,  finishing  the  blank  or  master  templet  perfectly 
straight  at  these  points  and  leaving  the  locating  until  the  blank- 
ing die  was  finished. 

Usually  when  a  blank  of  the  type  shown  is  required — that  is, 
-one  in  which  the  surface  of  the  blank  is  left  intact  and  without 
holes — a  plain  blanking  die  is  used,  but  in  this  case,  as  the  six 
half-circular  portions  B  had  to  be  all  of  the  same  radius,  the 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES  FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       109 

most  expedient  and  accurate  method  was  by  a  punch  and  die  of 
the  construction  shown  in  cross-section  in  Fig.  121,  which  is 
of  the  combination  piercing  and  blanking  type.  By  noting  the 
design  and  construction  of  this  die,  its  superior  working  qual- 
ities over  the  plain  die,  in  regard  to  the  interchangeability  of  the 
work  produced,  will  at  once  become  apparent.  The  blanking  die 
portion  S  and  the  six  piercing  dies  T  are  all  finished  straight, 
thus  allowing  the  die  face  to  be  ground  without  changing  the 
shape  of  the  blanks  produced.  The  six  piercing  dies  T  are 
counterbored  at  the  back  to  half  of  the  thickness  of  the  die. 
Great  care  was  exercised  in  the  laying  out  of  the  blanking  die 
portion,  and  in  the  locating  of  the  piercing  dies  and  gage 
plates.  The  construction  of  the  punch  requires  no  description, 
except  that  the  blanking  punch  instead  of  being  let  into  and  riv- 
eted in  the  punch  plate,  is  located  by  two  dowels  K  and  fastened 
by  two  flat  head  screws  from  the  back  as  shown. 

As  in  order  to  produce  blanks  which  are  required  to  be  per- 


w  w 


© 

0\ 

f~-~* 

^7 

Tension  Button 
Gana-e  FUte 
for  SLi'ihi  ••"<  Die 

^'-o'-' 

•y 

FIG.     122. 


feet  in  every  way,  especially  when  the  blank  is  produced  in  two 
operations,  one  operation  following  the  other  in  the  same  die  by 
the  combination  method,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  stock 
to  be  punched  shall  be  kept  against  the  back  gage  plate  all  the 
time,  and  as  it  is  not  practical  to  feed  it  through  a  tight  channel, 
other  means  are  required,  one  of  the  best  and  most  practical  of 
which  is  shown  at  Fig.  122,  and  is  known  as  a  tension  button 
gage  plate.  The  spring  buttons  W  W  keep  the  stock  as  it  is  fed 
along  snugly  against  the  back  gage  plate,  which  is  of  the  regular 
type,  keeping  it  there  with  an  equal  tension  at  all  times,  and 
eliminating  the  necessity  of  the  press  hand  forcing  and  holding 
the  stock  against  the  back  gage  plate.  By  the  use  of  a  gage 
plate  of  this  type  for  accurate  blanking  dies,  the  best  results 
will  be  obtained  and  the  production  brought  up  to  the  maximum.. 


no 


DIES,    THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


A  Set  of  Dies  for  a  Sheet  Metal  Bracket. 

The  four  dies  shown  here  were  used  to  produce  the  sheet- 
metal  bracket  shown  in  Figs.  123  to  125.  The  die  and  punch 
used  for  the  first  operation  are  shown  in  Fig.  126  and  are  of  the 
"gang"  type.  The"  stock  used  for  the  brackets  was  cold-rolled 
sheet  steel  3-32  inch  thick  and  y$  inch  wide,  coming  in  strips 
of  the  width  required.  The  work  accomplished  in  this  first  die 
was  the  piercing  of  the  center  hole  J  and  the  two  holes  I  I  at  the 
ends,  trimming  and  cutting  the  ends  H  H  to  the  shape  shown 
and  cutting  off  the  piece  as  shown  in  Fig.  123.  The  construc- 


)l  First  Operation 


o) 


FIG.    123. 


Last  Operation 


n 

Second  and  Third 
K                Operations                K 

H 

1    : 

K                  0                    K 

FIG.    124. 


FIG.    125. 


tion  of  the  punch  and  die  for  this  operation  can  be  understood 
from  the  engravings  and  no  description  is  necessary. 

When  in  use,  a  strip  of  metal  was  entered  beneath  the  strip- 
per and  pushed  in  against  the  stop-pin  S.  The  punch  descend- 
ing, the  three  piercing  punches  O  O  O  pierced  the  strip  and  en- 
tered the  die  first  and  before  the  trimming  punch  R  began  to 
cut,  thus  preventing  the  stock  from  shifting.  After  the  end  of 
the  stock  was  trimmed,  it  was  moved  along  until  the  hole  pierced 
at  the  right  hand  end  was  in  line  with  the  pin  S,  over  which  it 
was  slipped,  thereby  locating  and  centering  it  correctly  for  the 
finishing  of  the  other  end  and  cutting  off  the  piece.  At  the 
next  stroke  of  the  punch  the  finished  piece  was  cut  off  and  the 
front  end  and  the  holes  pierced  in  the  second  piece.  The  finished 
pieces  were  removed  from  the  pin  S  with  the  left  hand  while  the 
metal  was  fed  with  the  right.  As  shown,  the  die  is  equipped  with 
a  tension  button  gage  plate  to  insure  the  alignment  of  the  stock 
with  the  dies. 

The  punch  and  die  for  the  first  bend,  Fig.  124,  are  shown  in 


DIES  AND   PRESS  FIXTURES  FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       Ill 

Fig.  127.  They  bend  the  work  at  K  K.  This  same  die  is  used  for 
the  second  bending  operation.  One  punch  holder  also  sufficed 
for  the  three  bending  operations,  as  did  one  bolster  or  die  block 


Plan  of  Punch,  for 
First  Operation 


Punches  and 
Punch  Holders 


FIG.    126. 


FIG.    127. — FIRST  BEND. 


Punch  for  Third  Operation  using 

FIG.    128. — SECOND   BEND. 


for  the  two  bending  dies.     The  construction  of  this  punch  and 
•die  requires  no  description. 

For  the  second  operation,  that  of  bending  the  ends  of  the 
work  as  shown  in  Fig.  124  at  I  I,  the  same  die  as  used  for  the 


112 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND   USE. 


FIG.    129. — THIRD  BEND. 


first  bend  and  the  punch  shown  in  Fig.  128  were  used,  the  opera- 
tion being  accomplished  in  the  manner  shown. 

For  bending  at  L  L  and  causing  the  work  to  assume  the  final 
shape  shown  in  Fig.  125,  the  punch  and  die,  Fig.  129,  were  used. 

The  design  and  method  of  construct- 
ing this  punch  and  die  can  be  under- 
stood from  the  engravings  and  a  very 
slight  description  will  suffice.  The 
work  J  was  located  on,  and  within,  the 
die  at  points  I  I.  The  die  was  hard- 
ened and  drawn  slightly,  leaving  it 
very  hard  at  the  working  points.  The 
width  of  the  punch  at  F  F  is  two  thick- 
nesses of  metal  less  than  the  die  at 
H  H.  The  punch  was  hardened  and 
drawn,  leaving  the  points  F  F  very 
hard  and  the  rest  a  dark  blue. 

When  in  use  the  punch  and  die  were 
set  up  in  the  press  and  the  work,  Fig. 
124,  was  placed  in  position  on  the  die 
as  shown  at  J.  The  punch  descending  strikes  the  work  in  the 
center  and  causes  the  two  ends  to  spring  upward  and  inward,  hug- 
ging the  punch,  which,  continuing  downward,  forces  it  into  the  die 
at  H  H,  strikes  the  bottom  with  a  good  hard  blow,  and  completes 
and  finishes  the  work  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  125.  The  fin- 
ished work  is  slid  off  the  punch  by  hand. 

A  Double  Blanking  Die.    A  Piercing,  Cutting-Off  and  Forming 
Die,  and  a  Large  Double  Blanking  Die. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  130  was  used  to  produce 
two  blanks  at  each  stroke  of  the  press,  the  blanks  being  used 
when  drawn  and  finished  as  the  shield  portion  of  a  large  "safety"' 
pin.  With  this  punch  and  die  an  automatic  feed  was  used.  In 
the  die,  E  E  are  the  blanking  dies,  C  the  gage  plate,  G  the 
stripper,  while  I  I  are  the  cap  screws  and  H  H  the  dowels  re- 
spectively for  locating  and  fastening  the  stripper  and  gage 
plates  to  the  die.  In  the  punch,  C  is  the  holder,  D  the  punch 
plate  and  A  A  the  two  punches.  The  punch  plate  is  fastened  to 
the  holder  by  four  flat-head  screws,  as  shown.  The  construction 
of  this  die  requires  no  description.  Its  type  should  be  adopted 
whenever  possible  as  the  product  is  doubled. 


DIES  AND  PRESS  FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC    PRODUCTION.       113 

The  article  shown  in  the  top  left  hand  corner  of  Fig.  131  is 
of  flat  cold-rolled  stock  3-16  inch  thick,  and  is  finished  to  the 
shape  shown  in  one  operation,  by  means  of  the  combination  die 
shown  in  Fig".  131.  As  shown,  it  was  necessary  to  pierce  the 
four  holes,  cut  off  the  blank,  and  bend  it  to  the  required  shape. 
As  the  stock  to  be  worked  was  quite  heavy,  it  was  required  that 
all  parts  of  the  punch  and  die  should  be  as  rigid  and  strong  as 
possible.  The  construction  of  the  tool  is  shown  plainly  and 


FIG.    130. — A  SMALL   DOUBLE  BLANKING  DIE. 


only  a  description  of  its  operation  and  use  is  necessary.  The 
stock  to  be  worked  was  cut  into  strips  in  the  shear  to  the  proper 
width.  A  strip  of  metal  was  fed  in  beneath  the  stripper  V,  far 
enough  to  allow  the  end  to  project  slightly  over  the  cutting  edge 
of  the  die  B.  The  punch  descending,  the  end  was  trimmed  first, 
and  then  the  four  holes  pierced.  At  the  next  stroke  the  stock 
was  fed  up  against  the  stop  G  and  the  blank  cut  off  to  the  proper 
length  and  bent  over  and  formed  by  the  pads  R  and  F,  and  the 


114  DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

four  holes  pierced  in  the  next  piece.  As  the  punch  rises,  the 
spring  L  causes  the  stripping  pads  J  J  to  strip  the  finished  work 
from  the  die  F  and  lifts  it  to  the  surface,  from  which  it  drops  off 
at  the  back — if  the  press  is  inclined. 

This  principle  of  construction  can  also  be  used  to  advantage 
for  cutting  off  and  forming  sheet-metal  blanks  in  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  pierce  holes,  as  it  is  far  preferable  to  the  means 


FIG.    131. — A   PIERCING,  CUTTING-OFF,  AND   FORMING   DIE. 

usually  employed,  of  first  cutting  off  the  blanks  in  one  operation 
and  then  forming  them  in  another.  This  method  is  both  cheaper 
and  more  conducive  to  the  production  of  parts  of  a  uniform  size 
and  quality.  Some  die-makers  use  a  separate  pad  for  fastening 
the  punches  to  the  holder,  but  this  will  not  answer  for  heavy 
stock,  as  the  punches  are  not  so  rigid.  In  fact,  the  fewer  parts 
used  in  the  construction  of  punches  and  dies  of  this  class,  the  bet- 
ter the  results  and  the  longer  the  life  of  the  tools. 


DIES   AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC    PRODUCTION.       11$ 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  132  are  of  a  different  type 
from  the  one  shown  in  Fig.  130.  It  is  a  double  blanking  die, 
but  instead  of  producing  two  blanks  of  the  same  size,  it  produces 
one  blank  which  is  punched  on  the  outside  and  inside  both,  as 
shown  at  the  left  of  Fig.  132.  Its  construction  can  be  understood 
from  the  engraving.  When  it  is  in  use,  the  strip  of  metal  is  fed 


FIG.    132. — A   LARGE    DOUBLE   BLANKING   DIE. 

in  under  the  stripping  pins  G,  and  the  punch  L  blanks  the  outside 
of  the  work  into  the  die  A,  while  the  internal  punch  B  punches 
the  inside  up  into  the  internal  die  L.  As  the  punch  rises,  the 
spring  pad  O  within  the  punch  L,  by  the  action  of  the  two 
springs  N  N  expels  the  waste,  while  the  pad  E  E  within  the  die 
A,  in  conjunction  with  the  pins  F,  the  pad  Q  and  the  spring  I, 
strips  the  finished  blank  from  the  die  A,  thereby  producing  a 
blank  of  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  132.  In  this  die  the  principles 


n6 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE.   ' 


and  method  of  construction  are  adaptable  for  the  production  of 
a  large  variety  of  parts  of  which  large  quantities  are  required, 
as  the  cost  of  the  tools  will  be  quickly  made  up  in  the  time  and 
operations  saved  in  the  production  of  the  parts.  For  small  quan- 
tities of  blanks,  dies  of  a  simpler  and  less  intricate  as  well  as 
cheaper  type  are  preferable,  producing  at  a  greater  cost  work  of 
just  as  good  a  quality. 

Punches  and  Dies  for  Producing  Parts  of  an  Electric   Cloth- 
cutting  Machine. 

The  punches  and  dies  shown  in  Figs.  135  to  140  were  de- 
signed for  and  put  into  successful  operation  in  the  manufacture 
of  an  electric  cloth-cutting  machine,  the  general  features  of  which 


Top 


FIG.    133. — ELECTRIC   CLOTH -CUTTING  MACHINE. 

are  shown  in  Fig.  133.  It  will  not  be  attempted  here  to  de- 
scribe the  machine.  In  Fig.  134  are  shown  engravings  of  the 
roller  plate  and  parts  for  the  base  of  the  machine.  A  is  the  roller 
plate,  il/4  inches  in  diameter  of  3-32  inch  cold-rolled  stock,  with 
four  holes  pierced  in  the  positions  shown.  E  is  the  roller 
bracket  of  the  same  stock  as  the  plate,  pierced,  blanked  and 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC    PRODUCTION.       1 


formed  to  the  shape  shown,  F  being  the  result  of  the  first  opera- 
tion.   B  is  the  small  stud  for  fastening  it  to  the  plate  and  C  is  the 


FIG.  134. — PARTS  OF  ROLLER  BRACKET.    FIG.  135. — BLANKING  DIE. 

washer.     All  the  parts  are  assembled  when  finished  as  shown  in 
the  bottom  view  of  the  machine  in  Fig.  133. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  135  is  for  producing  the 


0QJ.       jo© 


©G 


FIG.    136. — BLANKING  DIE. 


FIG.    137. — BENDING   DIE. 


roller  plate  A.  P  is  the  die  plate,  O  the  piercing  dies  and  N  the 
blanking  die.  The  other  parts  are  clearly  shown  and  require  no 
description. 


II! 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND   USE. 


Fig.  136  shows  the  punch  and  die,  plan  and  side  views  respec- 
tively for  producing  the  blank  F  for  the  roller  bracket  E.  The 
manner  in  which  the  piercing  and  blanking  punches  and  dies  are 
laid  out  and  finished  and  the  blank  produced  can  be  intelligently 
understood  from  the  engravings.  The  tools  used  for  the  bend- 
ing operation  are  shown  in  Fig.  137,  and  are  sufficiently  clear  to 
make  a  description  superfluous. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  139  and  140  respectively, 
Avere  used  to  produce  the  piece  shown  in  Fig.  138,  which  was 
used  as  a  shoe  for  the  base  of  the 
cloth-cutter.  The  blanking,  both 
inside  and  outside,  was  all  done 
in  the  one  die;  the  piercing  of 
the  holes  was  another  operation. 
The  die  consists  of  the  outside 
die  A,  the  internal  punch  B,  the 
spring  pad  or  stripper  C  and  the 


FIG.  138.— SHOE. 


FIG.  139. — PUNCH. 


bed  plate.  The  punch  and  holder  are  all  in  one;  and  are  con- 
structed as  shown  with  a  spring  pad  to  strip  the  scrap  from 
the  internal  die.  The  operation  and  use  of  this  die  requires  no 
description. 

The  die  for  piercing  the  eleven  holes  shown  in  the  blank,  Fig. 
138,  was  made  in  the  following  manner:  A  bolster  of  cast  iron 
was  got  out,  and  one  of  the  blanks  drilled,  the  holes  being  trans- 
ferred from  the  jig  used  to  drill  the  base  plate.  A  gage  plate 
of  Y%  inch  flat  stock  was  made  so  that  the  blank  would  just  fit  it. 
It  was  then  fastened  to  the  face  of  the  bolster  with  screws  and 
dowels,  the  blank  laid  within  it  and  the  holes  transferred  through 
it  to  the  face  of  the  bolster.  These  holes  were  then  enlarged  for 
bushings  of  tool  steel,  %  inch  diameter,  which  were  turned, 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       IK) 

drilled  and  reamed  to  the  size  of  a  clearance  drill  for  a  6-32 
screw,  hardened  and  drawn,  the  face  and  outside  ground  and 
then  driven  into  the  holes.  The  die  was  constructed  in  this  man- 
ner to  facilitate  grinding,  and,  in  case  of  chipping  or  shearing,  to 
enable  replacing  with  others.  The  holes  for  the  punches  were 
then  transferred  through  these  bushings  to  the  face  of  a  cast 


FIG.   140. — DIE;. 

iron  holder;  the  punches  were  made  and  hardened  and  fastened 
within  the  holder  with  set  screws ;  then  a  spring  pad  was  fitted 
over  them,  and  working  up  and  down  on  two  studs,  equipped 
with  strong  springs,  which  acted  to  strip  the  blank  from  the 
punches  after  the  holes  were  pierced. 

An  Armature  Disk  Notching  Die  With  a  Dial  Feed. 

The  die  and  attachments  shown  in  Figs.  141  and  142  were 
used  for  notching  armature  disks.  It  requires  very  little  at- 
tendance while  in  operation  and  can  be  used  for  punching  a 
number  of  different  sizes  of  disks.  It  can  be  used  in  any  single- 
acting  power  press  to  which  a  connecting  rod  for  operating  the 
feed  can  be  attached.  The  sheet-iron  blanks  used  for  the  disks 


120 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


were  irregular  in  shape,  and  it  was  necessary  to  finish  them  to 
the  correct  radius  while  punching  the  slots.  The  die  D  was  made 
first.  The  best  way  to  finish  the  templet  was  to  solder  it  to  the 
face-plate  of  the  lathe,  when  it  was  turned  to  the  exact  radius  re- 
quired, both  inside  and  outside.  The  die  was  then  worked  out 
and  finished  to  it  at  M  and  Z,  taking  care  to  get  it  central  in  the 
die.  The  bolster  A  is  of  the  regular  type,  only  heavier.  It  was 
dovetailed  crosswise  for  the  die  and  left  large  enough  for  the  key 
X  also.  It  was  then  dovetailed  on  the  front  for  the  cast  iron  ex- 


FIG.    141. — ARMATURE    DISK   NOTCHING   DIE. 

tension  plate  B.  This  was  strong  and  heavy  and  perfectly  rigid. 
It  drove  tightly  into  B,  and  a  set  screw  was  let  into  each  side 
afterward  to  permanently  locate  it.  We  were  then  ready  to  lay 
out  the  slot  C  and  the  holes  H,  by  first  striking  a  line  from  the 
center  of  the  die  M  down  the  entire  length  of  the  plate.  The 
distances  between  the  holes  H  were  one-half  of  the  differences  in 
the  diameters  of  the  disks  to  be  punched. 

The  bushing  E  and  the  stud  F  are  both  of  tool  steel,  the  bush- 
ing being  fitted  to  the  slot  C  with  a  wide  shoulder  at  E,  the  top 
coming  a  trifle  below  the  face  of  plate  B.  A  reamed  hole 
through  the  center  admits  the  stud  F,  with  the  nut  I  on  one  end 
and  the  other  fitting  the  hole  in  the  index  plate  J.  Drilling  the 


DIES  AND   PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       121 


holes  in  the  bushing  for  the  dowel-pins  G  G  required  accuidte 
work,  as  the  finished  radius  of  the  disks  depended  on  their  loca- 
tion. The  method  used  for  gaging  it  correctly  is  of  interest.  A 
piece  of  cast  iron  about  I  inch  wide  and  in  length  about  £4  inch 
longer  than  half  the  diameter  of  the  smallest  armature  blank, 
with  a  lug  at  one  end  projecting  from  the  face,  was  strapped  on 
the  face-plate  of  the  lathe  with  one  end  central.  A  hole  was  let 
into  this  end  and  reamed  to  the  size  of  the  stud  F.  The  inside  of 
the  lug  at  the  other  end  was  then  turned  to  exactly  the  same 
radius  as  the  die  D  at  Z,  which  was 
that  of  the  next  to  the  smallest  disk. 
The  outside  of  the  lug  was  turned  to 
a  radius  sufficiently  small  to  allow  of 
its  entering  the  die  freely.  This  gage 
or  templet  was  set  with  the  end  with 
the  hole  over  the  stud  F.  The  mit  I 
was  loosened,  and  the  stud  and  bush- 
ing moved  forward  until  the  locating 
end  of  the  gage  entered  the  die  Z, 
with  the  turned  face  of  the  lug  rest- 
ing snugly  against  the  inner  side.  The 
nut  T  was  then  tightened  and  the  holes 
for  the  dowels  G  G  were  transferred 
through  the  plate  B  to  the  bushing  E. 
The  dowels  were  then  made  and 
driven  in.  This  method  of  locating 
holes  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  "but- 
ton" method  used  in  drill  jigs,  and  is 
just  as  reliable  and  accurate. 

The    index    plate    J    was    of    cast 
iron,    with    a    hub    on    one    side    the 

same  diameter  as  the  hole  in  the  armature  disk  blank.  A  key- 
way  in  the  hub  allows  of  the  small  key  punched  in  the  disk  to 
enter  and  locate.  As  most  disks  have  from  three  to  five  holes 
punched  in  them  to  lighten  them,  one  is  utilized  to  secure  the 
blank  and  carry  it  with  the  index  plate,  the  dowel  K  fitting  the 
hole  snugly.  The  index  plate  rests  on  the  collar  of  the  stud 
F.  The  two  pins  Y  Y  are  positive  stops  for  the  die  D.  The  rat- 
chet lever  R  fits  the  collar  of  the  stud  F  and  rests  between  the 
face  of  the  extension  plate  B  and  the  index  plate  J,  with  the 
ratchet  pawl  T  and  a  flat  spring  to  keep  it  against  the  index 


FIG.   142. — THE  PUNCH. 


122 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION   AND   USE. 


plate.  The  screw  W  is  for  fastening  the  link  by  which  it  is 
connected  to  the  adjustable  feed  rod  at  the  side  of  the  press. 

The  positive  stop  for  the  index  plate  is  located  at  the  end  of 
the  extension  plate.  A  projecting  pin  fits  the  holes  I  in  the  exten- 
sion, and  a  dowel  S  entering  the  holes  2  locates  it  permanently. 
The  punch  is  shown  in  two  views  in  Fig.  142,  and  requires  no  de- 
scription to  be  understood. 

When  in  use,  a  blank  Q,  ready  to  be  notched,  is  placed  on 
the  index  plate  J,  the  pin  K  entering  one  of  the  holes.  The  feed 
is  then  adjusted  and  the  press  is  kept  running  continually  until 
the  entire  disk  is  notched.  When  the  punch  descends  the  blank 
is  held  securely  between  the  pad  E  and  the  die.  The  notch  is 
then  punched  and  the  edge  of  the  blank  trimmed  to  the  proper 
radius.  As  the  punch  rises,  the  metal  is  stripped  and  the  index 
plate  revolved  one  space,  leaving  the  blank  in  position  for  the 
punching  of  the  next  notch. 

To  change  the  die  for  punching  another  size,  the  bushing  E 
is  moved  forward  or  backward  and  the  dowels  G  G  entered  into 
another  pair  of  holes.  Another  die  finished  to  the  proper  radius 
replaces  the  one  shown  and  another  punch  is  also  used.  If 
necessary  a  different  index  plate  is  substituted. 

Dies  for  Switchboard   Clips. 

The  set  of  dies  shown  in  Figs.  143  to  145  were  used  for  pro- 
ducing clips  of  sheet  copper,  which  were 
used  in  large  numbers  for  electrical 
switchboards.  Fig.  148  shows  the  fin- 
ished clip,  with  a  7-32  inch  hole  in  the 
bottom  to  admit  a  screw  for  fastening  it 
to  the  board.  The  ends  of  the  clip  were 
rounded  to  a  9-32  radius.  The  metal 
used  was  sheet  copper  1-16  inch  thick,  in 
strips  7-16  inch  wide. 

The  first  operation,  that  of  piercing 
the  hole,  rounding  the  ends  and  cutting 
off  the  piece,  was  accomplished  with  the 
punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig.  143,  while 

the  second  operation,  that  of  bending  the  blanks  to  the  shape 

shown  in  Fig.  147,  was  done  with  the  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig. 

144.     Neither  of  these  operations  requires  a  description,  as  the 

engravings  show  clearly  all  that  is  necessary. 


FIG.  143. — FIRST  DIE. 


DIES  AND  PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       123 


FIG.    144. — SECOND   DIE. 


FIG.  145. — THE  BENDING  OPERATION, 


FIG.   146. — FIRST 
OPERATION. 


FIG.   147. — SECOND        FIG.   148. — THIRD 
OPERATION.  OPERATION. 


I24 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND   USE. 


The  arrangement  for  the  third  and  last  operation,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  145,  consists  of  the  die  O,  the  gage  plates  P  P  to  locate 
the  second  operation  on  the  die,  and  the  die  block  N.  The 
punch  consists  of  the  holder  S  and  the  punch  R,  the  construction 
of  which  is  shown  clearly.  When  in  use  the  work,  Fig.  147,  was 
placed  in  position  on  the  die  and  the  punch  descending  causes 
the  two  sides  to  spring  up  and  hug  the  punch  which  continues 
downward  until  it  strikes  the  bottom,  drawing  the  corners  square 
and  producing  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  148.  The  work  is  re- 


BUnkfagPunet 
•nd-Die 


FIG.   149. 


FIG.    150. 


moved  from  the  punch  by  hand,  coming  off  easily,  the  punch 
itself  being  finished  as  smoothly  as  possible. 

A  Cutting  Off  and  End  Finishing  Die,  and  an  Accurate  Sec- 
tional Die  With  a  Chute  Feed,  and  Finger  Stripper. 

The  punches  and  dies  shown  in  Figs.  150  to  157  produce  the 
blank  Fig.  149,  from  a  strip  of  sheet  tin  1-32  inch  thick.  The 
blanks  are  assembled  as  in  the  lower  view,  Fig.  149,  so  that  they 
will  be  at  right  angles,  to  serve  as  a  compartment  skeleton  for  a 
tin  chemical  box. 

The  metal  for  the  blanks  came  in  long  strips  of  the  required 
width,  so  it  was  only  necessary  to  finish  the  ends  and  cut  them 


DIES  AND  PRESS  FIXTURES  FOR  ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       125 

off.  The  die  for  this  is  shown  in  Figs.  150  and  151.  O  is  the 
bolster  and  P  the  die,  worked  out  at  Q  to  the  required  shape. 
U  is  the  adjustable  stop  bracket,  fastened  to  the  end  of  the  die 
and  R  the  gage  plate  located  as  shown  in  Fig.  151. 

The  punch  is  of  the  usual  type,  except  that  the  stripper  is 
located  upon  it  instead  of  on  the  die.  The  holder  has  a  dove- 
tailed channel  for  the  punch  J.  This  punch,  after  being  fitted  to 
the  die,  is  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  dark  blue.  The  stripper  N  is 
located  by  means  of  the  two  studs  L  L,  which  screw  into  and 
shoulder  against  the  face.  The  studs  L  L  and  the  stripper  move 
up  and  down,  the  two  springs  M  being  strong  enough  to  strip 


FIG.   151. — VERTICAL,  SECTION   AND   PLAN   OF  DIE. 

the  metal  from  the  punch  instantly.  The  stripper  is  worked 
out  to  fit  nicely  around  the  punch  so  as  to  prevent  the  edges  of 
the  stock,  after  being  cut  off  and  finished,  from  bending  or  burr- 
ing inward.  The  press  in  which  the  punch  and  die  are  used  is 
tilted  backward  to  an  angle  sufficient  to  allow  the  blanks  to 
drop  off  through  gravity  into  a  receptacle  at  the  back.  The 
metal  punched  is  first  held  against  the  gage  plate  R  and  the  end 
allowed  to  project  a  slight  distance  over  the  die.  This  end  is 
then  trimmed  by  the  punch,  after  which,  the  stop-screw  W  is  ad- 
justed to  get  the  blank  to  the  required  length.  The  stock  is  then 
fed  against  it,  and,  as  the  punch  descends,  the  first  blank  is  cut 
off  and  the  front  end  of  the  next  one  trimmed.  The  rapidity  with 
which  the  blanks  can  be  produced  by  this  die  should  commend 


126 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


the  principle  for  the  production  of  parts  of  the  type  shown  in 
Fig.  149.  The  application  of  the  stripper  to  the  punch,  and 
the  use  of  an  inclinable  press  wherever  possible,  will  increase  the 
output  two-fold  without  effecting  the  duplication  of  the  parts. 

For  the  second  operation,  that  of  piercing  the  long  narrow 
slot  B  C,  the  punch  and  die  are  shown  in  Figs.  152  to  157.    The 


FIG.   152. — VERTICAL  SECTION   OF   PUNCH   AND   DIE. 

piercing  of  a  slot  1-32  inch  wide  to  the  length  shown  requires  a 
die  of  sectional  construction,  as  it  would  not  only  be  imprac- 
ticable to  make  a  solid  die,  but  it  would  be  impossible  to  accom- 
plish accurate  results  with  it.  As  by  the  use  of  this  die  the 
blanks  are  automatically  fed  to  the  face  of  the  die  with  great  ra- 


PUn  of  Die  Complet 

FIG.    153. — PLAN   OF  SLOTTING   DIE. 

pidity,  and  after  being  pierced  are  successively  picked  up  to  make 
room  for  the  next,  a  description  of  its  construction  is  presented. 
The  die  was  made  first  of  a  single  piece,  two  holes  were 
drilled  as  shown  for  the  dowel  pins  J  J,  and  the  bevel  shown 
planed  on  the  sides,  allowing  one  side  to  taper  lengthwise  one  de- 
gree. The  end  at  K  K  was  milled  down  3-16  inch  from  the  face 
as  a  locating  face  for  the  feed  chute  R.  The  holes  P  P  and  Q  Q 


DIES  AND  PRESS   FIXTURES   FOR   ECONOMIC   PRODUCTION.       I2/ 

were  drilled  straight  through,  as  were  the  two  L  L  for  the  stop- 
plate.  A  narrow  cutter  was  then  used  to  cut  the  die  in  two,  and 
the  inner  edges  were  finished.  These  sections  I  I  were  clamped 


FIG.     154. 


together  face  to  face  with  all  sides  coinciding,  and  a  sharp 
square  edge  milling  cutter  was  used  to  mill  a  flat  square  ended 
channel  .0163  in  depth  through  both  of  them  at  N  N,  about  l/& 
inch  longer  than  necessary.  The  depth  of  the  channels,  .0163, 


Q     p 
0    0 

K 


JUJ- 


i     I  w 

jt 


Showing  Construcuoa  of  Ote 

FIG.    156. 

exceeded  that  required  by  .0065,  which  was  to  allow  of  grinding- 
after  hardening.  After  the  notches  M  M  had  been  milled  in,  as 
clearance  for  the  stripper  fingers,  the  two  sections  were  hard- 
ened and  drawn  to  a  light  straw.  The  face  of  each  was 
then  ground  until  the  channel  N  of  the  die  portion  was  1-64  inch 
deep.  The  two  dowels  were  then  entered  as  shown  at  J  J.  The 
bolster  O  was  now  machined,  with  a  dovetailed  channel  finished 
so  that  the  die  would  drive  in.  The  die  was  entered,  the  face 
ground  and  oil-stoned  and  the  stop  fastened  by  the  screws  L  L. 
The  feed  chute  was  made  of  *4-inch  flat  brass,  with  a  channel 
S  slightly  wider  than  the  blanks  to  be  pierced,  the  portion  on 
which  the  blanks  were  to  slide  level  with  the  die  face.  T  T,  the 
two  gage  plates  for  locating  the  blanks,  are  fastened  to  the 
bolster  instead  of  the  die. 

The  punch  consists  of  the  following  parts:    The  holder  U> 


128  DIES,    THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

the  punch  pad  V,  the  punch  X,  located  by  the  taper  pins  Y  Y ; 
the  stripper  plate  D  D,  to  the  face  of  which  are  fastened  the 
flat  spring  fingers  C  C,  C  C,  and  the  stripper  studs  and  springs 
F  F,  F  F.  The  necessary  points  in  construction  may  be  seen 
and  understood  from  the  different  views  of  the  punch  in  Figs, 
oo,  oo  and  oo.  The  small  spring  fingers  for  picking  up  the 
blank  after  piercing  are  made  from  light  flat  spring  steel  and 
are  bent  to  the  shape  shown  and  located  on  the  stripper  plate. 
The  ends  of  these  fingers  project  beyond  the  face  of  the  stripper 
far  enough  to  allow  of  them,  when  the  punch  descends,  to  be 
forced  upward,  encountering  the  blank  and  then  slipping  under 
it,  and  as  the  punch  rises  they  carry  the  blank  with  them,  and 
as  the  press  is  inclined  it  falls  off  at  the  back. 

When  in  use  the  punch  and  die  are  set  up  in  the  press  as 
follows :  The  press  is  tilted  backward  and  the  die  bolster  O 
fastened  to  it  by  bolts  through  the  ends,  so  that  the  mouth  of 
the  feed  chute  R  will  be  directly  in  front  of  the  operator,  and 
slanting  downward  toward  the  back  of  the  press.  The  punch  is 
then  set  and  the  chute  filled  with  blanks,  the  first  one  resting  on 
the  die  between  the  gage  plate  T  T  and  against  the  stop-plate 
L,  the  next  against  the  end  o.f  the  first  and  so  on  up  the  chute. 
As  the  punch  descends  the  stripper  holds  the  blank  tightly  to  the 
die  face  and  the  two  spring  fingers  C  C,  C  C,  slip  under  it. 
As  the  punch  begins  to  rise  the  blank  is  stripped  from  it  by 
the  stripper  plate  D  D,  and  it  is  raised  from  the  face  of  the  die 
by  the  fingers  C  C,  C  C,  and  as  the  punch  reaches  its  highest 
point  the  blank  slides  off  at  the  back. 

Using  this  die  the  press  was  run  at  a  high  speed,  and  the 
blanks  were  pierced  as  rapidly  as  the  operator  could  feed  them 
into  the  chute.  There  is  a  large  variety  of  second  operation 
work  which  can  be  produced  rapidly,  accurately  and  at  a  min- 
imum of  cost  by  dies  of  this  design,  with  punch,  stripper  and 
spring  fingers  for  removing  the  blank.  The  face  of  the  piercing 
punch  Z  is  sheared  so  as  to  relieve  the  strain  on  it  as  much  as 
possible. 

The  twenty-four  dies  shown  and  described  in  this  chapter 
should  suggest  to  the  practical  man  a  large  variety  of  work  for 
the  production  of  which  they  can  be  adapted,  and  we  will 
now  turn  our  attention  to  the  class  of  sheet-metal  tools  which 
are  next  in  order  of  prominence  and  which  come  under  the 
head  of  "Bending  and  Forming  Dies." 


CHAPTER   V. 

BENDING  AND  FORMING  DIES  AND  FIXTURES. 

Bending  Dies — Simple  and  Intricate. 

In  tools  for  the  ordinary  bending  of  sheet  metal  parts  it  is 
necessary  to  combine  simplicity  in  design  with  durability  and 
cheapness ;  and  one  of  the  things  that  makes  a  die-maker  valu- 
able is  his  ability  to  devise  simple  and  effective  means  for 
producing  in  the  fewest  number  of  operations  the  article  re- 
quired, and  constructing  the  tools  so  as  to  allow  of  their  being 
set  up  and  operated  by  unskilled  help.  Very  often  it  is  possible 
to  design  a  die  that  will  accomplish  in  one  operation  that  which 
usually  requires  two  or  three  to  produce,  being,  of  course,  of 
a  more  complicated  and  accurate  construction  and  requiring 
more  skill  and  intelligence  to  operate.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
often  preferable  to  increase  the  number  of  operations  (by  adopt- 
ing simple  methods)  in  dies  that  will  stand  rough  usage.  The 
bending  and  forming  dies  illustrated  and  described  in  this 
chapter  are  of  both  classes. 

Dies  for  Making  Large  Safety  Pins. 

In  Figs.  159  to  162  are  shown  a  set  of  dies  and  fixtures 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  universally  known  "safety" 


FIG.   158. — LARGE  "SAFETY"  PIN. 


130 


DIES.    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


— are  seven 


pins,  and  the  ones  produced  by  the  particular  set  of  tools  here 
shown  are  of  the  largest  size  made,  as  shown  in  tig.  158.  The 
pin  consists  of  two  parts — the  head,  or  shield,  which  is  blanked 
and  drawn  from  sheet  brass,  and  the  pin  proper  of  brass  wire. 
The  number  of  operations  required  to  produce  pins  of  this 
size — which,  by  the  way,  are  used  principally  for  horse  blankets 
The  blanking  of  the  piece  for  the  head,  the  draw- 
ing and  forming  of  it,  the  cutting 
and  pointing  of  the  wire,  the  bend- 
ing of  the  end  which  is  fastened  in 
the  head,  the  forming  of  the  spring 
portion,  the  wiring  and  fastening  of 
the  pin  within  the  head,  and,  last, 
the  closing  down  of  the  head  so  as 
to  make  the  pin  "safety."  The 
means  used  and  the  manner  in 
which  all  this  is  accomplished  can 
be  clearly  understood  from  the  cuts, 
and  very  little  description  is  neces- 
sary, except  as  to  the  methods  of 
constructing  some  of  the  tools. 

For  the  first  operation — that  of 
punching  out  the  blank  for  the 
head — the  punch  and  die  shown  in 
Fig.  130,  Chapter  IV.,  are  used. 
The  second  operation,  that  of  draw- 
ing and  forming  the  blank  as  shown 
in  Fig.  158,  is  accomplished  by  the 
drawing  die,  Fig.  159,  the  construc- 
tion and  action  of  which  will  be  un- 
derstood from  the  description  given 
of  "Drawing  Dies"  in  a  chapter 
further  on  in  the  book. 

The  operations  on  the  pin  ,  portion  are  three.  The  wire  is 
straight  and  10  inches  long,  and  is  required  to  be  pointed  at  one 
end  and  bent  to  conform  to  the  radius  of  the  inside  of  the 
head  at  the  other.  The  first  operation,  that  of  pointing  and 
cutting  off,  is  accomplished  in  the  screw  machine,  the  pointing 
being  done  with  a  special  box-tool.  The  second  operation,  of 
bending  the  end  to  the  shape  shown  at  the  end,  is  done  by  means 
of  a  simple  punch  in  the  foot  press.  The  last  operation  on  the 


FIG.    159. — DRAWING   DIE. 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


131 


wire  is  to  bend  and  form  the  spring  portion  as  shown  at  K. 
This  is  accomplished  by  the  fixture  shown  in  the  two  views, 
Fig1.  1 60.  The  bent  end  G  of  the  wire  is  entered  and  located 


FIG.     1 60. — BENDING   AND   FORMING   SPRING   PORTION. 


to  gage  within  the  plate  I,  with  the  length  of  wire  lying  be- 
tween the  pins  J  J  and  against  the  forming  horn  K.  The  wire 
is  formed  around  the  horn  as  shown  in  the  two  views.  The 
inclined  surface  of  the  body  H  is 
necessary,  so  as  to  have  both  ends 
of  the  wire  in  line  with  each  other 
when  fastened  within  the  head. 
This  fixture  is  used  in  the  vise, 
gripping  it  at  O  as  shown  in  the 
end  view. 

The  next  operation  is  that  of  in- 
closing the  end  G  of  the  pin  within 
the  head.  This  is  done  in  the  foot 
press  by  means  of  the  tools  shown 
in  Fig.  161,  and  as  the  sketches 
show  clearly  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  accomplished  very  little  de- 
scription is  necessary.  V  is  the 
die,  of  tool  steel ;  W  the  locating  or 
gage  plate  for  the  work,  and  X  the  bolster  or  die  block.  The 
punch  consists  of  two  parts — the  holder  P,  of  cast  iron,  and  the 
punch  Q,  of  tool  steel. 

The  last  operation  is  the  closing  in  of  the  head  of  the  pin 
so  that  the  points   S  will  act  as  a  guide   for  opening  the  pin. 


FIG.    l6l. — ASSEMBLING 
OPERATION. 


I32 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.    162. — LAST  OPERATION. 

This  operation  and  the  simple  tools  used  are  shown  in  Fig.  162, 
and  require  no  description  to  be  understood. 

Forming  a  Funnel  Ended  Tube. 

The  dies  shown  in  Fig.  167  and  one  of  the  construction  shown 
in  Figs.  118  and  119,  Chapter  IV.,  were  used  to  form  a  blank 
of  cold-rolled  sheet  steel  .048  inch  thick  to  the  shape  shown  in 
the  two  views,  Figs.  164  and  165.  The  finished  piece  was  used 


A 


\ 

•> 
3 

| 

N              M- 

u— 

/ 

D 
/ 

5 

D- 

— 

- 

D 

--- 

<\ 

I 

c 

1C 

LL 

r. 

t 

t6« 

;.          F 

c 

IG 

i 

.  i 

U 

r31 

56. 

FIG.  163.  FIG.  164. 

SUCCESSIVE   OPERATIONS   IN   TUBE   MAKING. 

as  a  funnel  on  a  box-nailing  machine,  the  nails  entering  at 
the  opening  at  the  top  and  dropping  into  a  tube  at  the  bottom. 
The  piece  was  to  finish  to  4^3  inches  long,  in  the  shape  of  a  tube 
13-32  inch  in  diameter  starting  from  the  bottom.  There  was 
also  a  flat  surface  at  the  back  at  D  i  inch  long  and  13-32  wide, 
to  keep  the  funnel  from  shifting  when  in  place  on  the  machine. 


BENDING    AND     FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


133 


There  were  two  lugs  at  A  to  act  as  a  gage  in  setting  it  to 
the  proper  height.  The  upper  part  was  formed  in  the  manner 
shown,  with  an  open  space  in  front  and  two  wings  extending 
out. 

The  construction  and  use  of  the  dies  used  to  accomplish  the 
desired  results  can  be  understood   from  the  engravings  of  the 


FIG.    167, — FIRST  FORMING  OPERATION. 

forming  dies  and  the  diagrams  of  the  blank  and  its  forming 
shown  in  Figs.  163  to  166.  Fig.  163  shows  the  blank  as  punched 
in  a  plain  blanking  die,  Fig.  166  the  result  of  the  first  forming 
operation,  and  Figs.  164  and  165  the  result  of  the  last  operation. 
The  manner  in  which  the  bending  and  forming  of  this 
funnel  is  accomplished  and  the  tools  used,  should  suggest  simple 
means  for  the  forming  of  a  variety  of  work. 

Bending  Dies  for  Wire  Lock  Clasps. 
One   of  the   uses   to   which   forming   and   bending   dies   are 


134 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


often  put  is  the  production  of  bent  and  formed  wire  parts  from 
either  slender  or  heavy  stock.  As  an  instance  of  what  can  be 
accomplished  in  the  bending  and  forming  of  comparatively  heavy 


The  Wire  to  be  Bent 

FIG.  i 68. 


UJ    [^- X^       pirst  Operation        ^~^^  JJU 


PIG.    169. 


FIG.    170. 


stock  in  two  operations  by  the  use  of  simple  dies,  we  show  in 
Fig.  1 68  a  length  of  wire  and  the  result  of  two  operations  on 
it  in  Figs.  169  and  170.  The  stock  used  was  5-16  thick  Bessemer 
rod,  and  the  parts  as  finished  were  used  as  clasps  on  patented 
locks. 


FIG.   171. — FIRST  BEND. 

Before  starting  on  the  dies  it  was  necessary  to  determine 
the  exact  length  of  wire  required.  As  shown,  the  die  for  the 
first  operation  is  made  so  that  the  bending  of  the  work  will  be 
progressive.  The  bolster  J  was  first  planed  and  two  square- 
bottomed  channels  let  in  crosswise  for  the  pieces  P  P.  These 
pieces  were  of  tool  steel  and  were  worked  out  and  finished  to 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  135 

the  shape  shown — that  is,  to  a  snug  fit  within  the  channels  in 
the  bolster  and  with  about  .007  inch  surplus  stock  on  the  inside 
face  of  each.  The  tops  of  these  pieces  had  a  half-round  groove 
let  in  at  S  to  act  as  locating  points  for  the  work.  Holes  were 
let  into  the  back  for  fastening  screws  Q  Q,  two  to  each.  After 
these  holeb  were  tapped  and  a  hole  let  into  one  piece  for  the 
stop-piece  screw  R,  the  pieces  were  hardened  and  tempered, 
leaving  the  portions  which  were  to  do  the  bending  very  hard 
and  the  rest  a  blue.  The  pieces  were  then  fastened  in,  and  the 
inside  face  of  each  ground  until  the  distance  between  them  was 
exactly  as  required — that  is,  the  same  as  between  the  points  U  U, 
Fig.  169,  after  the  first  operation. 

For  the  part  O,  which  is  the  bending  die  proper,  a  piece 
of  well-annealed  tool  steel  %  inch  wide  was  planed  and  squared 
and  the  ends  finished  so  that  it  would  fit  nicely  between  P  P, 
as  shown.  This  part  O  was  then  clamped  to  the  face  of  the 
bolster  resting  between  the  pieces 
P  P  and  the  two  holes  for  the 
stripper  screws  L  L  were  let  in. 
The  piece  O  was  then  removed 
from  the  bolster  and  the  forming 
and  bending  face  finished  to 
templet,  first  in  the  shaper  and 
then  with  a  file,  all  points  as 
smooth  as  possible.  The  two  FIG  j~2. 

holes    M  M    were    tapped,    and 

the  die  was  hardened  and  only  slightly  drawn.  The  stripper 
screw  holes  in  the  bolster  were  then  counterbored  to  admit  the 
stripper  springs  N  N.  The  springs  had  to  be  very  stiff,  to 
allow  of  the  progressive  bending  and  forming  of  the  work.  After 
polishing  all  working  parts  and  surfaces  and  fastening  on  the 
stop-plate  R,  all  parts  were  assembled  and  were  ready  for  the 
punch. 

The  holder  A  is  of  cast  iron.  After  turning  the  stem  to 
fit  the  hole  in  the  press  ram,  a  hole  B  is  bored  completely 
through  it,  tapping  it  at  the  upper  end  for  the  stripper  spring 
adjusting  screw  I.  The  punch  D,  of  tool  steel,  is  first  planed, 
fitted  to  the  holder  A,  driving  tightly  into  the  dovetailed  channel 
in  the  face,  and  left  long  enough  for  fitting  it  into  the  die.  The 
punch  is  driven  into  the  holder  and  the  holes  are  drilled  and 
reamed  for  the  two  taper  locating  pins  XXX.  The  center  for 


4: 1-4 


Elan  of  Punch 


136 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


the  hole  for  the  stripper  screw  E  is  then  located  through  the 
hole  B  in  the  stem  of  the  holder,  drilled  and  reamed.  The  lo- 
cating pins  are  then  removed,  the  punch  driven  out  and  the 
square  channel  for  the  stripper  G  milled  in  across  the  face.  The 
face  of  the  punch  is  then  finished  to  fit  the  die  and  polished. 
It  is  then  set  up  in  the  milling  machine,  and,  by  using  a  butt 
mill,  the  cutting  edges  of  which  are  of  the  same  radius  as  that 
of  the  stock  to  be  bent,  a  groove  H  H  milled  into  the  face 
and  the  ends  in  depth  the  same  as  the  diameter  of  the  stock  to 
be  bent.  This  channel  is  then  finished  smooth  and  symmetrical 


FIG.     173. — FINISHING    OPERATION. 

at  all  the  corners  and  angles  with  a  riffler  and  polished  with 
oil  and  emery  to  as  good  a  finish  as  possible.  The  punch  is 
hardened  at  the  bending  face  and  the  ends,  and  tempered  to  a 
very  light  straw. 

The  stripper  G,  of  tool  steel,  is  made  and  fitted  to  the  slot 
in  the  punch  face  and  finished  with  a  groove  in  the  center  to 
coincide  perfectly  with  the  one  in  the  punch  face  when  resting 
in  the  bottom  of  the  slot.  A  hole  in  the  center  is  tapped  for 
the  stripper  screw  E,  the  spring  F  is  made  and  also  the  adjust- 
ing screw  I  and  all  parts  are  assembled. 


BENDING    AND     FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  137 

The  length  of  wire  to  be  bent  is  rested  in  the  locating  grooves 
S  S  and  endways  against  the  stop  plate  R.  The  punch  is  set 
to  just  bottom  in  the  die.  As  it  descends  the  tension  of  the 
springs  N  N  is  sufficient  to  allow  of  the  angular  bending  being 
accomplished  without  the  die  descending.  As  the  face  of  the 
punch  strikes  the  die  O  the  ends  of  the  wire  are  bent  up  into 
the  grooves  H  H  in  the  ends  of  the  punch,  which  continues  to 
descend  until  the  die  strikes  the  face  of  the  bolster.  As  the 
punch  rises  the  die  rises  with  it,  and  the  work  clings  to  the 
punch  until  it  has  risen  above  the  die  face,  when  it  is  stripped 
by  the  stripper  G,  and,  as  the  press  is  tilted,  it  drops  off  the 
die  into  a  receptacle  at  the  back  of  the  press. 

For  the  finishing  operation  the  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig. 
173  are  used.  The  die  is  finished  from  a  good-sized  solid  block 
of  tool  steel  to  the  shape  shown — that  is,  to  dovetail  into  the 
bolster  at  E  E  and  the  part  C  C  finished  to  templet,  rounding 
off  the  corners,  as  shown,  with  a  groove  along  the  top  faces  at 
F  F  as  locating  and  centering  points  for  the  work.  A  stop-plate 
fastened  at  one  end  of  the  bolster  acts  as  an  endwise  locator. 
The  die  is  hardened  and  drawn,  driven  into  the  bolster  and 
located  by  the  set  screw  H.  The  construction  of  the  punch 
requires  no  description.  The  punch  and  die  are  set  up  in  the 
relative  positions  shown,  the  work  is  located  within  the  groove 
F  F  and  against  the  stop-plate  D.  The  punch  strikes  the  work 
in  the  middle  and  bends  it  into  the  die,  which  causes  the  ends 
to  spring  up  and  form  around  the  punch,  the  ends  coming 
together  tightly  at  T,  Fig.  170.  As  the  punch  rises  and  the 
work  with  it,  it  is  stripped  off  by  hand. 

These  two  dies  were  designed  for  the  production  of  parts 
which  were  required  in  large  quantities,  and  we  believe  they  are 
both  in  design  and  construction  about  as  substantial  and  simple 
as  could  be  devised,  as  the  work  is  produced  in  exact  duplication 
and  free  from  marks  or  bruises,  and  results  are  attained  in  two 
operations  which,  as  a  rule,  require  three  to  produce. 

A  Bending  Die  for  Wire  Staples. 

In  Figs.  174  to  176  are  shown  different  views  of  a  punch 
and  die  for  bending  staples  of  Stubs  wire,  so  that  they  can  be 
entered  into  reamed  and  accurately  spaced  holes  in  a  separate 
piece.  As  the  holes  into  which  the  ends  of  the  staples  were  to 
be  entered  were  reamed  to  the  exact  diameter  of  the  wire,  it  was 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


necessary  to  employ  accurate  and  reliable  means  for  the  bending. 
The  punch  and  die  shown  was  constructed  to  accomplish  this 
result,  and  the  results  attained  were  in  every  way  satisfactory. 
The  staple  as  finished  and  bent  from  the  straight  wire  is  shown 
in  Fig.  177.  The  first  part  made  was  the  die  N,  which  was  of 
tool  steel  finished  to  the  length  and  height  shown,  and  in  width 
to  exactly  the  same  as  the  distance  between 
the  inside  edges  of  the  holes  into  which  the 
staples  were  required  to  fit.  To  get  this  exact 
distance,  the  following  method  was  adopted : 
A  piece  of  Stubs  wire  of  the  same  diameter  as 
the  holes  was  forced  into  each  and  allowed  to 
project  out  about  T4  inch.  The  distance  be- 
tween them  was  then  secured  by  means  of  a 
Brown-Sharpe  "Vernier"  caliper,  getting  the 
exact  distance.  The  holes  for  the  dowel  pins, 
and  screws  for  fastening  the  gage  plates 
O  O  to  the  face  of  the  die,  were  then  let  in,  and  also  the  holes 
for  the  screws  P.  The  die  was  then  hardened  and  slightly  drawn, 
after  which  it  was  located  and  fastened  within  the  bolster,  as 
shown,  by  the  screws  P. 

The  punch  proper,  as  shown  in  the  cross-section  view,  was 


FIG.  174.— THE 
PUNCH. 


FIG.    175. — THE  DIE. 


FIG.  176. — PLAN 
OF   PUNCH. 


FIG.    177.— STAPLE. 


made  in  three  parts,  of  which  those  at  the  sides  G  G  are  the 
"benders"  and  A  the  "sizer."  The  part  A  was  finished  at  B  to 
fit  the  ram  of  the  press,  while  the  "sizer"  portion  was  finished 
in  width  to  the  exact  width  of  the  die.  A  hole  was  bored 
straight  through  the  punch  for  the  stripper  E  and  spring  C,  and 


liKXDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  139 

tapped  at  the  upper  end  for  the  spring  adjusting  screw  D.  A 
slot  was  let  into  the  side  of  the  stripper  to  admit  the  point  of 
a  small  set  screw,  as  shown.  This  was  to  prevent  the  stripper 
from  turning  while  the  punch  was  in  action.  A  groove  was 
let  into  the  face  of  the  stripper  stud  and  also  into  the  "sizer" 
at  E  E,  in  depth  the  same  as  the  diameter  of  the  wire  to  be  bent 
with  the  bottoms  rounded  to  the  same  radius.  The  two  side 
pieces,  or  "benders,"  were  then  made  of  tool  steel  and  finished 
square  and  smooth  on  all  sides.  Holes  were  drilled  through 
them  and  the  "sizer"  A,  to  admit  the  bolts  I  I  and  the  dowel 
pins  K  and  L.  Grooves  were  then  let  into  the  inside  faces  of 
the  "benders"  at  H,  in  depth  so  that  the  wire  when  bent  would 
fit  snugly  within  and  between  them  and  the  sides  of  the  die  N. 
These  grooves  were  lapped  smooth  and  rounded  at  the  face  of 
the  ''benders"  so  as  to  not  scratch  the  wire  while  bending  it. 
The  "benders"  were  then  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  light  straw 
temper  and  the  parts  assembled  as  shown. 

To  operate  the  die,  the  bolster  is  fastened  to  the  press  and 
the  punch  lined  up  with  it  by  setting  it  on  the  die  with  the 
"benders"  over  the  sides  and  then  fastening  it.  The  stroke 
of  the  press  was  then  set  so  that  the  "sizer"  would  just  touch  the 
face  of  the  die  when  the  ram  had  reached  the  full  length  of  its 
stroke.  The  wire  was  then  located  on  the  die  face,  as  shown 
in  the  sectional  view  and  bent  and  finished  to  the  shape  shown 
in  Fig.  177.  As  the  punch  rose  the  stripper  E  forced  the  finished 
work  from  the  punch. 

By  the  use  of  a  punch  and  die  of  the  construction  shown 
and  described  herein,  wire  can  be  bent  to  exact  dimensions,  and 
each  piece  produced  will  be  an  exact  duplicate  of  the  one  pre- 
ceding it.  The  grooves  in  the  benders  should  be  finished  very 
smooth,  as  it  is  necessary  to  do  this  in  order  that  the  wire 
when  bent  shall  present  a  smooth  and  shining  appearance.  When 
this  is  done,  no  difficulty  will  be  encountered  in  entering  the 
projecting  ends  of  the  staples  within  their  respective  holes. 
The  "benders"  should  be  left  as  hard  as  possible  at  all  wearing- 
points,  as  the  bending  of  the  wire  is  apt  to  wear  them  consid- 
erably when  they  are  drawn  to  a  temper  above  a  light  straw. 
When  the  projecting  ends  of  the  staples  are  required  to  be  of 
a  length  exceeding  one  inch,  all  parts  of  the  punch  and  die 
should  be  left  with  excess  stock  at  all  points  which  are  required 
to  be  finished.  They  should  then  be  hardened,  after  which  they 


140 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


can  be  lapped  and  ground  to  the  exact  size  required.  By  con- 
structing them  in  this  manner  all  possibility  of  error  in  size 
will  have  been  overcome  and  the  work  produced  will  be  perfectly 
interchangeable. 

An  Automatic  Wire-Bending  Die. 

In  Figs.  181  to  183  are  shown  views  of  a  wire-bending  and 
forming  die  which.,  although  of  a  rather  intricate  design  and 
expensive  construction,  produces  results  in  one  operation  which 
would  by  simpler  means  necessitate  two  or  more  to  accomplish. 
This  die  is  used  to  bend  and  form  the  wire  handle  A  of  the 
metal  bottle  stopper  shown  in  Figs.  178  to  180.  The  handle 
was  made  of  round  brass  rod,  ^  inch  thick,  cut  into  3^8 -inch 
lengths  and  the  ends  turned  down  in  the  monitor,  leaving  square 
shoulders  as  shown. 

In  the  punch,  A  was  the  holder,  a  machine  steel  forging 
turned  and  finished  with  a  hole  straight  through  the  shank  to 


FIG.  178. 


FIG.    179. 


admit  the  stem  C  of  the  forming  punch.  It  was  also  counter- 
bored,  as  shown,  for  the  spring  D  and  then  milled  across  at  E. 
The  forming  punch  B  was  of  tool  steel,  first  turned  so  that  the 
stem  C  would  fit  the  hole  in  the  holder,  and  threaded  for  the 
two  adjusting  nuts  shown  at  the  top.  It  was  then  chucked  in 
the  miller  and  the  forming  bending  face  milled  and  finished  to 
templet,  and  the  upper  portion  milled  flat  on  the  sides  to  fit  the 
channel  in  the  face  of  the  holder  at  E.  The  inclined  faced  studs 
F  F  were  then  got  out  and  finished,  as  shown,  and  let  into  the 
holder  in  the  relative  position  shown.  The  forming  and  bend- 
ing punch  was  polished  and  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  blue  at 
the  back.  The  spring  D  was  then  made  from  heavy  steel  wire ; 
the  parts  assembled,  and  the  punch  was  complete. 

The  die  consists  of  the  bolster  G  of  cast  iron,  planed  and 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


141 


milled  to  the  shape  shown  and  dovetailed  to  admit  the  two 
forming  slides  H  H  and  the  gibs  K  K.  It  was  also  milled 
straight  across  to  admit  the  die  J,  which  was  of  tool  steel, 
worked  out,  finished  and  hardened,  inserted  and  held  in  posi- 
tion by  the  flat-head  screws  N  N.  The  slides  H  were  of  tool 


FIGS.    l8l    TO    183. — AUTOMATIC   WIRE   BENDING  DIE   COMPLETE. 

steel,  worked  out  to  the  proper  shape  and  fitted  to  an  easy  sliding 
fit  within  the  bolster.  They  were  inserted  and  set  in  the  proper 
position  and  the  holes  laid  out  for  the  inclined  faced  pieces  I  I. 
The  holes  were  drilled  and  the  slide  hardened  at  the  forming 
faces.  The  pieces  1 1  were  of  tool  steel  and  finished,  as  shown, 
with  a  hole  drilled  through  each  for  the  adjusting  screws  M  M; 


142  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

they  were  forced  into  the  holes  in  the  slides.  After  the  slides 
were  put  in  position  and  the  gibs  K  adjusted  by  the  screws  L  L, 
the  stop-pins  3  3  were  made  and  riven  into  the  bolster  and 
filed  back  until  the  slides  would  come  back  just  the  distance 
required  when  drawn  by  the  springs  shown  on  each. 

We  neglected  to  state  that  a  half-round  groove  was  let  into 
the  top  of  each  slide,  as  a  form  or  seat  for  the  work  to  locate 
in.  After  all  parts  were  assembled,  as  shown,  the  punch  and 
die  were  set  up  in  the  press  and  the  work  2  placed  in  position 
as  shown,  the  screws  adjusted  correctly,  and  the  press  stepped. 
The  punch  descends,  striking  the  work  in  the  center,  and  causes 
it  to  spring  up  and  hug  the  sides  of  the  punch,  which,  continu- 
ing down  further  until  within  y%  inch  of  the  bottom,  when  the 
inclined  faced  punch  studs  and  the  die  studs  come  in  contact, 
causing  the  forming  slides  to  move  inward,  the  punch  continu- 
ing down  until  the  work  is  entirely  formed  and  finished.  As  the 
punch  ascends  the  springs  carry  the  slides  back  to  the  stop-pins 
3  3,  and  the  work  is  removed  from  the  punch  by  hand.  The 
spiral  spring  D  in  the  punch  is  to  allow  the  forming  punch  to 
remain  stationary  while  the  work  is  being  formed  at  the  sides 
by  the  slides. 

Cutting,  Perforating  and  Shaping  at  One  Operation. 

Fig.  184  shows  an  open  back  press  equipped  with  dies  for 
cutting,  perforating  and  shaping  at  one  and  the  same  handling 
the  lock-cases  used  on  satchel  frames.  It  will  be  understood 
from  the  engraving  that  the  operator  pushes  the  metal  strip 
into  the  die  against  an  automatic  finger  gage,  which  permits 
of  running  the  press  continuously.  After  the  piercing  and  punch- 
ing, which  are  done  in  a  double  die,  the  blank  is  automatically 
moved  sideways  into  the  forming  die,  which  finishes  it  and  drops 
it  out  of  the  press  at  the  rate  of  about  60  to  80  a  minute.  Presses 
of  this  type  equipped  with  the  "punch  feed"  and  "finger-gage" 
are  used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  belt  hooks,  tobacco 
tags,  staples,  etc.  Sometimes  a  roll  feed  is  used  in  addition 
for  feeding  in  the  stock. 

Blanking  and  Stamping  in  a  Press  with  Automatic  Slide  Feed 

and  Ejector. 

The  engraving,   Fig.   185,  illustrates  an  inclined  press  fitted 
with  a  blanking  die  set  in  front  of  a  stamping  die  for  making 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  143. 


FIG.  184. — PRESS  EQUIPPED  WITH  PUSH  FEED,  FINGER  GAGE  AND 
DIES  FOR  CUTTING,  PERFORATING  AND  FORMING  AT  ONE  AND- 
THE  SAME  HANDLING  LOCK  CASES  FOR  SATCHEL  FRAMES. 


UNIVERSITY 


144 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.     185.— INCLINED     PRESS      WITH    SLIDE    FEED    AND    EJECTOR, 

EQUIPPED  WITH  A  BLANKING  DIE  AND  A  STAMPING  DIE. 


J5KXDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  145 

covers  for  key-opening  sardine  boxes.  The  press  is  set  on 
inclined  legs  and  the  blank  naturally  drops  back  to  the  stamp- 
ing die  through  gravity,  but  a  cam-actuated  slide  feed  is  pro- 
vided to  insure  its  proper  locating  on  the  stamping  die,  from 
which,  after  being  stamped,  it  is  automatically  ejected  by  a 
device  not  shown.  Articles  of  this  general  character  may  be 
cut  from  the  strip  and  stamped  at  the  rate  of  about  50  to  60 
pieces  a  minute. 

Two  Bending  Dies  for  Flat  Stock. 

In  Figs.  1 86  and  187  are  shown  two  bending  dies  for  bend- 
ing and  forming  the  sheet  steel  pierced  blank  shown  in  Fig. 
1 88  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  190.  As  the  engravings  show 


FIG.    1 86. — BENDING   DIE   FOR   OPERATION,    FIG.    189. 

clearly  the  design  and  construction  of  both  dies  no  detailed 
description  is  necessary.  The  first  operation  is  the  bending  of 
the  blank  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  189,  with  the  four  wings 
B  B  B  B  bent  to  an  angle  of  45  degrees  with  the  sides  E  E  and 
the  top  A  A.  The  punch  and  die  used  are  shown  in  Fig.  186. 
The  blank  is  placed  on  stripping  plate  S,  and  located  by  the 
two  gage  pins  T  T  entering  into  two  of  the  pierced  holes  D 


146 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


in  the  blank.      Springs   within   the  bolster   keep  the   stripper   S 
at  the  face  of  the  die,  and  strip  the  work  when  bent.    The  punch 


FIG.    187. — BENDING   DIE   FOR   OPERATION,    FIG.     190. 

L  for  the  bend  at  E  is  also  equipped  with  springs  which   are 
strong  enough  to  allow  of  the  punch  bending  the  blank  at  this 


o 


o 


o 


FIG.    1 88. — BLANK. 


A 

B(oi 


OD 


FIG.    189. — FIRST  BEND. 


point  before  it  bottoms  at  K.     M  M  M  M  are  the  punch  portions 
for  bending  the  wings,  and  QQQQ  the  die  portions   for  the 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES     AND    FIXTURES. 


o 


same.     The  appearance  of  the  work  after  passing  through  this 
die  is  shown  in  Fig.  189. 

For  the  finishing  operation  the  die,  Fig.  187,  is  used,  the 
work  being  located  at  W  W  and  as  the  punch 
descends  it  is  formed  into  the  die  at  V  V,  which 
causes  the  ends  of  the  work  to  spring  up  and 
hug  the  punch  at  X  and  Z,  the  result  being  the 
shape  shown  in  Fig.  190.  All  wearing  surfaces 
of  both  punch  and  die  used  for  the  two  opera- 
tions are  draw-filed  and  polished  smooth,  after 
which  they  are  hardened  and  drawn  slightly, 
leaving  them  as  hard  as  possible  without  danger 
of  cracking.  The  manner  of  fastening  the 
punches  within  the  holders  by  dovetailing  them 
is  far  preferable  and  more  reliable  than  by  the 
use  of  screws. 


O 


FIG.  190. 
SECOND  BEND. 


An  Automatic  Slide  Forming  Die  for  a  Sheet  Metal  Ferrule. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  192  to  195  are  used  to  fcrm 
the  sheet  steel  blank  produced  in  the  die  shown  in  Figs.  79 
and  80  Chapter  III.,  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  191.  As  this 
punch  and  die  is  of  a  rather  intricate  and  elaborate  type,  and 
as  there  are  a  number  of  practical  points  in  its  construction 
which  are  essential  to  the  successful  production 
of  the  work,  it  is  of  sufficient  interest  to  warrant 
a  detailed  description  of  its  principal  working 
parts. 

The  punch  and  die  as  used  when  in  operation 
are  shown  in  Fig.  192,  which  shows  a  longitudi- 
nal cross-section  of  each,  with  the  blank  in  posi- 
tion for  forming.  The  die  consists  of  a  heavy 
cast  iron  bolster  R,  which  is  finished  with  a 
dovetailed  channel  running  down  its  entire 
length,  and  with  a  central  channel  at  right  angles  to 
the  first  to  admit  the  forming  die  N.  This  die  is  of 
tool  steel  and  is  shown  in  a  plan  view — as  are  all  the  other 
working  parts  of  the  die — in  Fig.  193.  It  is  finished  on  the 
face  in  a  half-circle  of  the  radius  to  which  the  blank  is  to  be 
formed,  and  has  two  narrow  slots  sunk  in  it  to  accommodate 
the  wings  of  the  blank,  as  shown  at  N.  It  is  hardened  and 
drawn  and  ground  to  a  nice  fit  in  the  channel.  Before  hardening 


Second  Operation 
FIG.    il. 


148 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 


a  hole  is  let  into  the  center  of  the  bottom  to  accommodate  the 
adjusting  stud  V,  Fig.  192.  A  hole  is  drilled  straight  through 
the  bolster  at  this  point  and  enlarged  and  tapped  at  the  back 
to  admit  the  spring  case  screw  T  and  the  spring  S.  By  using 
these  parts  as  shown  the  tension  of  the  spring  can  be  regulated, 
as  can  the  height  of  the  punch  N  also. 

The  two  forming  slides  K  K  are  of  flat  tool  steel  of  the  thick- 
ness shown  and  are  finished  in  the  following  manner :  .A  piece 


FIG.  192. — DIE  FOR  FORMING  A  SHEET  METAL  FERRULE. 

of  steel,  long  enough  to  form  both  slides,  is  first  planed  all  over 
and  fitted  to  the  dovetailed  channel  in  the  face  of  the  bolster, 
fitting  it  tightly.  It  is  then  strapped  to  the  table  of  the  milling 
machine,  with  the  sides  at  dead  right  angles  with  the  cutter, 
and  a  half-round  groove  of  exactly  the  same  radius  as  that  in 
the  face  of  the  die  N  let  in,  using  the  graduated  dial  on  the 
table  feed  screw  to  get  the  correct  depth,  and  feeding  very 
slowly  with  a  good  flow  of  oil  on  the  cutter,  to  get  as  smooth  a 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


149 


finish  as  possible.  This  done,  the  forming  cutter  is  removed 
and  a  sharp  saw  3-32  inch  thick  substituted  in  its  stead,  setting 
it  in  the  dead  center  of  the  half-round  groove  in  the  work  and 
feeding  it  through  to  within  a  shade  of  the  table  of  the  miller. 
The  work  was  then  removed  and  the  two  sections  separated. 
The  faces  of  each  were  then  finished  and  polished.  This  method 
of  finishing  the  forming  faces  of  the  slides  insured  their  align- 
ment with  the  forming  portions  of  the  die,  a.nd_\vith  each  other. 
The  angular  inclined  cam  portion  in  each  end  was  finished  as 
shown  at  I  I,  to  templet,  finishing  the  faces  to  an  angle  of  25 
degrees  with  the  slide  face  and  polishing  them  as  smooth  as 
possible.  The  slides  were  hardened  at  the  working  surfaces 
and  drawn  to  a  light  straw,  leaving  the  remaining  portions  soft. 
The  construction  of  the  remaining  portions  of  the  die  requires  no 


FIG.   193. — PLAN   OF   DIE. 

description   as   they   are   simple   and   are   shown   clearly   in   the 
engravings. 

The  punch,  as  shown  in  Fig.  192,  consists  of  seven  parts — 
the  holder,  or  body  H,  forged  from  mild  steel,  the  two  slide  cams 
J  J  of  tool  steel,  the  forming  punch  K  of  the  same  material, 
the  punch  stud  F,  the  adjusting  nuts  E,  and  the  spiral  spring 
G.  The  holder  H  after  being  chucked  and  faced,  and  the  hole 
for  the  spring  G  and  stud  F  let  in,  was  strapped  to  the  lathe 
face-plate  and  the  stem  trued  with  the  hole,  then  turned,  as 
shown,  and  the  back  faced.  It  was  then  set  up  in  the  miller 
and  the  sides  and  ends  milled,  and  a  channel  let  into  the  face  to 
admit  the  forming  punch  K.  The  finishing  of  this  punch  was 
a  nice  milling  job,  as  it  serves  when  finished  as  the  punch  for 
forming  tile  bottom  of  the  blank  and  also  as  the  horn  for  the 
sides.  The  method  of  finishing  was  as  follows :  A  piece  of 


150 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


Center 


FIG.    194. — THE    FORMING 
PUNCH. 


annealed  tool  steel,  large  enough  all  over  to  allow  of  finishing- 
it  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  194,  was  first  centered  and  placed 
on  the  lathe  centers  and  a  narrow  shoulder  turned  at  each  end 
in  diameter  exactly  one  thickness  of  metal  less  than  that  of  the 
die.  We  now  had  two  reliable  points  to  work  from.  The  punch 
was  then  set  up  on  the  miller  centers,  jacked  up  from  the  bottom, 
and  the  portion  D  finished  with  a  narrow  mill  to  the  same 

radius  as  the  ends  before  mentioned, 
finishing  the  punch  in  a  perfect  radius 
to  within  3-64  inch  of  each  side  of  the 
center,  and  ending  in  a  stout  wall  ?,t 
the  back  C,  running  out  and  ending 
in  a  fillet  as  shown.  It  was  necessary 
Icenter  to  have  this  wall  at  the  back,  because 
of  the  frailness  of  the  central  wall  B. 
By  moving  the  punch  around  on  the 
miller  centers  and  locating  and  fasten- 
ing as  required,  the  back  of  the  punch  was  milled  true  with  the 
circular  face.  The  punch  was  then  held  in  the  miller  vise  and 
the  sides  milled  to  fit  the  channel  in  the  holder,  finishing  both 
sides  equidistant  from  the  center  of  the  punch  face.  As  will  be 
seen,  this  was  about  as  accurate  and  expeditious  a  method  of 
finishing  of  the  punch  as  could  be  adopted.  The  circular  portion 
of  the  punch  was  then  draw-filed,  taking  off  all  high  spots,  and 
giving  the  surface  a  perfectly  symmetrical  appearance.  The  two 
ends  were  then  milled  down  and  squared  with  the  back  and  sides, 
the  hole  for  the  punch  stud  F  let  into  the  center  of  the  back 
and  tapped,  and  the  punch  hardened,  polished  and  drawn  to  a 
dark  blue  and  laid  aside  until  the  other  portions 
were  finished.  The  construction  of  the  other  parts 
of  the  punch  and  die  can  be  clearly  understood 
from  the  engraving  without  a  description. 

The  action  of  this  punch  and  die  may  be  under- 
stood from  Fig.  192.  The  blank  is  placed  on 
the  die  as  shown  at  M,  and  the  punch  set. 
As  it  descends  the  blank  is  formed  into  the  die  N,  the 
spring  S  being  strong  enough  to  allow  of  this  being  done 
without  moving  the  die.  As  the  punch  forms  the  blank,  the 
die  descends  until  it  bottoms.  The  forming  punch  now  remains 
stationary,  and  as  the  holder  continues  to  descend  the  slides 
commence  to  move  in,  by  means  of  J  J,  until  the  sides  of  the 


FIG.  195. 

GAGES. 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  15! 

blank  have  been  formed  around  the  punch,  and  the  face  of  each 
slide  presses  tightly  against  the  wall  B.  As  the  punch  rises 
all  parts  return  to  their  respective  positions,  and  the  finished 
work  is  slid  off  the  punch  by  hand. 

When  dies  for  producing  work  of  this  type  are  designed 
and  constructed  in  this  manner,  the  results  will  be  all  that  can 
be  desired.  They  will  work  well'  and  rapidly  and,  what  is 
more,  turn  out  the  maximum  amount  of  work  before  requiring 
repairs. 

A  Press  with  Automatic  Device  for  Tube  Forming. 

Fig.  196  shows  a  press  equipped  with  lateral  slides  and  mov- 
able mandrel  for  forming  sheet-metal  tubes  in  one  operation, 
forming  a  tube  8  inches  long,  either  straight,  taper,  round,  oval 
or  square,  at  one  blow.  The  toggle  slides,  which  operate  from 
right  to  left,  are  cam-actuated  and  easily  adjusted  for  different 
shapes.  The  mandrel,  over  which  the  tubes  are  formed,  first 
descends  upon  the  blank,  bending  it  into  a  U  shape  and  carrying 
it  against  the  lower  die,  whereupon  the  forming  tools  attached 
to  the  lateral  slides  complete  the  operation.  Presses  equipped 
in  this  manner  are  used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  bicycle 
parts,  such  as  hubs,  pedal  centers,  etc.,  also  spouts,  penholders, 
small  can  bodies,  either  round  or  square. 

Bending  and  Forming  Dies  for  Round  Work. 

The  dies  here  shown  and  described  are  known  as  circular 
bending  and  forming  dies,  and  are  very  suggestive  of  ways  and 
means  for  upsetting  and  forming  the  edges  of  circular-drawn 
shells  into  a  variety  of  difficult  shapes.  The  piece  of  work  shown 
here  in  the  different  operations,  running  from  Fig.  197  to  203, 
was  used  as  a  part  of  a  patent  fruit- jar  cover.  The  first  opera- 
tion, Fig.  197,  was  to  blank  and  draw  a  shell  of  the  size  and 
shape  required.  After  this  it  was  necessary  to  upset,  bend 
and  form  the  upper  edge  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  200,  for 
which  three  operations  were  necessary. 

The  first,  Fig.  198,  was  to  upset  or  start  the  upper  bend. 
The  punch  and  die  are  shown  in  Fig.  204.  A,  the  bolster,  is 
of  cast  iron  and  B  the  die,  for  holding  the  shell,  of  tool  steel. 
The  construction  of  the  parts  of  both  punch  and  die  can  be 
clearly  understood  from  the  engravings.  The  metal  used  for 
the  shells  was  sheet  tin  .01  inch  thick.  The  shell  C  being  placed 


152 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG  196. — A  PRESS  EQUIPPED  WITH  LATERAL  SLIDES  AND  MOVA- 
BLE MANDREL  FOR  FORMING  SHEET  METAL  TUBES  IN  ONE 
OPERATION,  FORMING  A  TUBE  8  INCHES  LONG,  EITHER  STRAIGHT, 
TAPER,  ROUND,  OVAL  OR  SQUARE,  AT  ONE  BLOW. 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  153 

in  the  die  B,  the  punch  descending  causes  the  edge  to  collapse 
to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  198. 

For  the  next  operation  a  bolster  H,  which  would  answer 
for  all  the  bending  operations,  was  made  as  shown  in  the  cross- 
section  in  Fig.  205,  with  a  plan  of  it  in  Fig.  210.  It  was  first 
bored  %  inch  deep  to  just  fit  the  outside  of  the  shell  at  J  J  for 
a  gage  point  in  setting  the  punches,  and  then  planed  on  the 
top  and  the  two  gibs  LL  finished  and  each  fastened  by  three 
screws,  as  shown.  A  slide  M  of  flat  cold-rolled  stock  was  then 
fitted  to  slide  freely  within  L  L  and  to  locate  itself  against  the 
stop  K.  It  was  bored  out  to  just  strip  the  work  from  the 


J 


FIG.     198.  FIG.    201. 


r 


FIG.     199.  FIG.     202. 


L  11 


FIG.  197. — THE  SHELL.         FIG.  2OO.  FIG.  203. 

BENDING  ROUND  WORK. 

punch,  the  round-head  thumb-screw  being  used  as  a  handle  to 
slide  it  back  when  locating  the  work.  The  action  of  the  punch 
and  die  for  this  operation  is  plain,  as  shown  in  Fig.  205.  The 
punch  G  is  worked  out  and  finished  to  templet  to  the  shape 
shown  at  K,  and  hardened  and  polished.  In  descending  the 
central  portion  projects  further,  and  enters  the  shell  I  before  the 
forming  commences,  thereby  holding  the  outer  edge  while  it  is 
formed  and  bent  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  199.  The  operation 
of  finishing  the  upper  bend  was  done  by  the  punch  N,  Fig.  206, 
tapering  slightly,  as  shown,  entering  the  work  and  gradually 
forcing  it  inward  and  finishing  the  bend  as  shown  in  Fig.  200. 
The  upper  bend  finished,  we  were  ready  for  the  lower,  which 
.required  three  operations  to  complete  it. 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND     USE. 


FIG.    204. — FIRST   OPERATION. 

The  first  was  to  blank  the  hole  in  the  bottom,  as  shown  in 
lug".  201,  which  was  done  by  the  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig. 
207.  T  is  the  bolster,  U  the  die,  inserted  at  T  and  held  down 


FIG.    205. — SECOND  OPERATION. 

by  the  gage  plate  V,  which  is  located  on  the  face  of  the  bolster 
in  a  recess  sunk  true  with  the  die.  The  work  W  is  shown  just 
fitting  within  Y.  The  punch  X  is  the  ordinary  blanking  punch , 


BENDING     AND     FORMING     DIES     AND     FIXTURES.  155 

equipped  with  the  spring  rubber  Z,  a  stripping  plate  Y,  and  O  O 
the  two  screws  or  studs  for  the  plate  to  move  on.  The  blanking 
punch  descends  and  punches  the  hole,  and  as  it  rises  the  plate  Y 
strips  the  work  from  the  punch. 


FIG.    206. — THIRD  OPERATION. 

The  first  bend  is  shown  in  Fig.  208,  the  punch  tapering 
sufficiently  to  allow  it  to  enter  the  hole  in  the  work  Q  while 
the  taper  part  forms  it  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  202.  The 
next  and  last  operation  is  shown  in  Fig.  208,  the  punch,  taper- 


FIG.    207. — CUTTING  THE  HOLE. 

ing  slightly  and  then  left  straight,  descending  and  finishing  the 
bending  and  leaving  the  work  as  shown  in  Fig.  203. 

It  was  necessary  to  have  some  means  for  setting  the  punches 
central  with  the  work,  and  to  do  this  the  piece,  Fig.  211,  was 


156 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


made,  the  upper  part  fitting  around  the  punch  and  the  lower 
part  in  the  recess  J  J  in  the  bolster.  This  proved  an  easy  and 
reliable  means  of  locating  them.  In  making  the  punches,  tem- 
plates were  necessary  in  order  to  get  them  the  proper  shape 


FIG.    208. — FIFTH   OPERATION. 

and  size,  as  in  work  of  this  kind  it  is  very  easy  to  start  a 
wrinkle,  which  increases  with  each  operation  and  spoils  the 
work.  All  the  working  parts  must  be  well  finished  and  polished 


FIG.    209. — SIXTH    OPERATION. 

and  left  very  hard,  as  the  bending  of  sheet  metal  in  this  manner 
wears  the  punch  rapidly. 

Although  the   work   looks   simple   enough,   considerable   skill 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND     FIXTURES.  157 

is  required  with  the  hand  tool  to  get  the  proper  shapes  and  sizes,, 
first  working  down,  and  then  trying  and  easing  the  tight  spots, 
until  the  exact  shape  required  is  produced. 

Of  two  styles  of  bending  round  work  the  one  here  described, 
that  of  decreasing  from  a  larger  diameter  to  a  smaller,  is  easier 
than  the  other.  This  form  of  bending  is  used  quite  extensively 
in  the  manufacture  of  tinware  and  metal  lamps,  and  it  is  sur- 


M 


0 


FIG.    210. 


FIG.    211. 


prising  the  variety  of  work  and  the  symmetry  of  form  that  is 
attained  when  the  simplicity  and  cheapness  of  the  tools  used 
are  considered.  The  extensive  use  and  improvement  of  such 
tools  has  been  the  chief  factor  in  the  unusual  cheapness  of  sheet- 
metal  ware,  as  formerly  all  this  was  done  by  spinning.  The 
adoption  and  use  of  such  tools  has  also  increased  the  usefulness 
of  the  die  and  toolmaker.  And  so  it  is  in  all  lines  of  sheet- 
metal  work,  the  power  press  being  used  to-day  to  accomplish 
results  that  were  not  thought  possible'  a  few  years  ago. 

Bending  and  Closing-in  Dies  for  Round  Work. 

The  punches  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  216  and  217  are  of  a 
type  in  general  use  for  bending  and  closing-in  the  rim  of  a 
drawn  shell.  It  is  of  a  type  which  is  adaptable  (with  slight 


FIG.    212. 


FIG.  213. 


FIG.    214. 


FIG.    215. 


158 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


changes  which  readily  become  apparent)  for  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  different  shapes  in  bending  and  forming  round  work. 

As  can  be  seen  from  the  engraving,  this  particular  punch 
and  die  are  used  for  joining  the  two  drawn  pieces,  Figs.  212  and 
213;  that  is,  enclosing  the  drawn  shell,  Fig.  213,  at  B  B  within 


j 


FIG.    2l6. — FIRST  BEND. 


Q  Q 

Punch  for  Finishing 


FIG.    217. 


Fig.  212  at  A  A,  first  starting  or  upsetting  the  edge  A  A  as 
shown  at  C  C,  Fig.  214,  and  then  finishing  it  as  shown  at  D  D, 
Fig.  215.  Although  these  tools  are  of  a  very  simple  design,  it 
is  necessary  to  exercise  care  in  the  finishing  and  sizing  of  the 
parts,  as,  wherever  a  good  job  in  the  product  is  desired,  close 
and  good  work  is  necessary  in  the  tools. 


Foot   Presses   and    Outfit    of   Dies   for   Producing   Five-Gallon 
Petroleum   Cans. 

In  Figs.  218  to  223  are  shown  a  number  of  foot  power  presses 
as  equipped  with  punches  and  dies  for  the  different  operations 
necessary  in  the  production  of  five-gallon  petroleum  cans.  As 
the  half-tones  show  clearly  the  construction  of  the  dies  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  located,  fastened  and  used,  no  descrip- 
tion will  be  attempted. 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


159 


i6o 


DIES,    THEIR    roXSTKUCTION    AND    USE. 


BENDING    AND     FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  l6l 

A  Double  Crank  Press  and  Outfit  of  Bending  Dies. 

The  press  shown  in  Fig.  224  is  a  double  crank  press  and 
the  "horns"  and  "forces"  with  which  it  is  equipped  are  used 
for  setting  down  the  inside  corner  seams  of  even  bodies.  Presses 
of  this  type  and  fixtures  of  the  class  shown  are  used  to  the 
best  advantage  for  operations  in  the  manufacture  of  heavy 
pieced  iron  ware,  such  as  setting  down  lock  seams  on  very 
heavy  stock. 

A  Pick-Eye  Forming  Press  with  Dies  in  Position. 

The  press  shown  in  Fig.  225  with  a  set  of  dies  in  position  is 
used  for  the  manufacture  of  such  articles  as  hammers,  axes, 
pick-axes,  adzes,  mattocks,  hoes,  etc.  A  series  of  dies  of  the 
type  shown  is  set  side  by  side,  and  the  article  is  forged  in 
one  or  several  heats  by  passing  it  through  from  one  die  to 
another.  The  slide  or  ram  of  the  press  can  be  quickly  and 
accurately  raised  and  lowered  by  means  of  an  adjustment  which 
is  arranged  to  operate  both  crank  connections  simultaneously. 

Four  "Follow"  Bending  and  Forming  Dies. 

The  dies  shown  in  engravings  herein,  while  not  exactly 
"bending"  dies  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term,  may  be  shown 
and  described  in  this  chapter  because  of  the  fact  that  the 
work  principally  accomplished  by  their  use  is  bending.  The 
construction  of  dies  of  this  class  is  similar  to  that  followed  out 
in  "gang"  dies,  and  as  the  operations  on  the  work  as  it  passes 
through  them  are  progressive  they  are  known  as  "follow"  dies. 
The  dies  shown  here  show  four  adaptations  of  the  "follow"  prin- 
ciple for  articles  or  parts  of  sheet  metal  to  be  pierced,  bent, 
formed  or  drawn  and  finished  complete  in  one  operation  or 
handling. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  227  and  228  produce  the 
formed  and  pierced  blank  shown  in  two. views  in  Fig.  226.  This 
blank  has  two  holes  B  B,  the  ends  are  trimmed  and  the  center 
is  bent  and  formed  to  the  shape  shown  at  A.  The  metal  used 
came  in  strips  or  rolls  of  the  required  width.  As  first  inserted 
within  the  die  it  fitted  between  the  ^age  plates  and  against 
the  stop-pin  T.  At  the  first  down  stroke  of  the  ram  the  forming 
punch  M  encounters  the  metal  and  bends  and  forms  it  into  the 
die  R,  and,  bottoming  there,  remains  stationary  while  the  two 


162 


DIES,,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.  224. — DOUBLE    CRANK   PRESS   AND    OUTFIT   OF  DIES   FOR   BENDING 
DOWN   CORNER   SEAMS   OF  SQUARE    BOX   WORK. 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  163 


FIG.    225.— PICK-EVE    FORMING    PRESS    WITH    DIES   IN    POSITION. 


164 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


o 

B 


FIG.    226. 


M 


Plan  of  Punch 


M 


FIG.    227. 


FIG.    228. — '    FOI^OW  "  DIB  FOR   FIG.    226. 


BENDING    AND     FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES.  165 

holes  B  B  are  pierced  by  the  punches  K  K  and  the  end  of  the 
stock  is  trimmed  by  the  punch  L.  At  the  next  stroke  the 
metal  is  held  against  the  stop-pin  and  the  formed  and  finished 
blank  is  punched  out.  The  position  of  the  stop-pin  T  must 
be  accurately  located,  as  the  metal  is  first  forced  against  it  by 


1 

cO 

D 

cO 

FIG.    229. 

hand  and  then  drawn  away  some  distance  by  the  action  of  the 
forming  punch  X. 

The  punch  and  die,  Figs.  230  to  232,  for  producing  the  bent 
flat  spring  shown  in  Fig.  229,  are  more  simple  than  the  first. 
They  pierce  the  holes  C  C,  make  the  bend  at  D,  cut  off  the 
piece  and  trim  the  corners.  G  G  are  the  piercing  dies,  H  the 
forming  or  bending  die,  and  X  and  I  the  trimming  and  cutting- 
off  dies.  For  the  forming  die  H  the  shape  required  is  milled 
across  the  face  of  the  die.  The  trimming  die  I  is  also  made 
wider  than  necessary,  as  shown,  and  is  made  to  allow  the  back 
end  of  the  work  to  be  cornered  and  the  front  end  to  be  cut 
off  square.  The  stop  K,  of  flat  cold-rolled  stock  fastened  to 


Plan  of  Punch 


FIG.     230. 

the  end  of  the  die,  is  made  adjustable  to  allow  of  using  the  one 
die  for  producing  springs  of  different  lengths.  The  punch  is 
simple,  consisting  of  the  two  piercing  punches  Y  Y,  the  bending 
punch  Z  and  the  trimming  punch  E,  all  fastened  in  the  pad  X. 
The  bending  punch  Z  is  shorter  than  the  piercing  punches  and 


166 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.  231.  — «  FOLLOW  "   DIF,  FOR   FIG.    229. 

cut-off  punch.  This  is  done  so  that  the  two  holes  will  have 
been  pierced  and  the  finished  piece  cut  off  before  the  next  one 
is  bent.  When  the  die  is  in  use  the  strip  of  metal,  which  is  the 


FIG.  232. 

exact  width  required,  is  inserted  beneath  the  stripper  and  against 
the  stop  K.  As  the  punch  descends  the  two  holes  are  pierced 
first  and  the  end  of  the  strip  is  trimmed,  and  the  work  bent.  At 
the  next  stroke  the  finished  piece  is  cut  off. 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


i67 


The  only  bad  feature  in  a  die  of  this  construction  is  that  it 
does  not  easily  allow  of  frequent  grinding.  To  compensate  for 
this  defect  it  is  best  to  leave  the  die  as  hard  as  possible  and  to 


FIG.  233. 


FIG.    234. 


FIG.  235. — "FOU,OW"  DIE  FOR  FIG.   233. 


exercise  care  when  setting  it  up  in  the  press.  We  have  seen 
dies  of  this  type  which  have  produced  from  seventy  to  eighty 
thousand  blanks  without  requiring  grinding. 


1 68 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


The  punch  and  die,  Figs  234  to  237,  produce  the  piece  shown 
in  Fig.  233.  This  die  instead  of  bending  the  work  draws  and 
forms  to  the  shape  of  a  shallow  shell,  pierces  the  hole  in  the 
center  E  and  punches  out  the  finished  piece.  The  die  comprises 
the  drawing  die  U,  the  piercing  die  J  and  the  blanking  die  W. 
When  laying  out  the  centers  for  the  three  dies  the  distances 
between  them  had  to  be  determined  according  to  the  amount  of 


H 

0 
G 

H 

FIG.    236. 

metal  required  to  form  the  shell  portion  of  the  work.  The 
length  of  the  drawing  punch  P  is  just  sufficient  to  draw  the 
shell  and  flatten  the  rim  on  the  face  of  the  die.  The  pilot  pin 
S  in  the  punch  R  is  to  locate  the  work  central  within  the  blank- 
ing die  after  the  hole  has  been  pierced.  The  blanking  punch  is 
left  the  longest  for  reasons  which  will  be  understood  from  the 
description  of  the  operation  of  the  die. 

After  the  punch   and   die   are   set  up  the  strip   of  metal   to 


Plan  of  Punch 


FIG.    237. 

be  worked  is  first  entered  beneath  the  stripper,  far  enough  to 
allow  the  first  shell  to  be  drawn  at  the  first  stroke.  The  metal 
is  then  moved  along  and  the  shell  drawn  at  the  first  stroke  is 
centered  and  located  within  the  locating  portion  of  the  piercing 
die.  At  the  next  stroke  the  hole  is  pierced  and  a  second  shell 
drawn.  The  stock  is  then  fed  forward  another  space,  and,  the 
punch  descending,  the  blanking  punch  R  enters  the  die  first, 
thereby  allowing  most  of  the  stock  for  the  shell  to  be  drawn  from 


BENDING     AND     FORMING    DIES     AND     FIXTURES. 


1 6q 


FIG.  238. — "FOLLOW"  DIE  FOR  FIG.  236. 

the  sides.  Punch  P  and  punch  O  are  in  separate  pieces  to  facil- 
itate grinding,  so  that  when  the  piercing  and  blanking  punches 
are  ground  the  face  of  O  may  also  be  ground  so  as  to  keep  it 
the  proper  length  in  relation  to  the  other  two. 


Plan  of  Die 


r 

-  — 

^ 

1 
IDG 

LJ 

E 

(5) 

E 

ii 

3  3 

F 

H/tt 

/"fS 

FIG.    239. 

The  die,  Figs.  237  to  239,  differs  from  the  other  three,  as 
it  has  to  bend  and  form  at  two  points  H  H,  pierce  a  hole  in  the 
center  at  F  and  cut  off  the  finished  piece,  thus  necessitating 
drawing  the  metal  for  the  bends  from  both  ends.  D  is  the  die 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


proper,  E  E  the  bending  dies,  F  the  piercing  die  and  G  the  cut- 
ting-off  die.  K  is  the  adjustable  stop,  I  I  the  two  gage  plates, 
and  H  the  stripper  plate.  The  punch  consists  of  the  stem  or 
holder  Y,  the  pad  Z,  the  bending  and  forming  punches  A  A  and 
the  cutting-off  punch  C.  The  bending  punches  have  the  piercing 
punch  let  into  the  center  between  them.  The  cutting  punch  C 
and  the  piercing  punch  B  are  left  Y%  inch  longer  than  the  others, 
so  that  the  forming  punches  A  A  will  accomplish  their  work 
after  the  others  have  entered  the  die. 

The  stock  to  be  worked  is  inserted  far  enough  for  the  end 
to  project  slightly  beyond  the  edge  of  the  cutting  die  G.  As 
the  punch  descends  the  piercing  punch  pierces  the  hole  and  the 
cutting-off  punch  trims  the  end  of  the  stock.  The  punch  con- 
tinuing downward,  the  forming  punches  A  A  form  the  work 
into  the  dies  E  E,  while  the  piercing  punch  having  passed 
through  the  stock  and  into  the  die,  holds  the  metal  true  and 
central  while  the  bends  are  being  accomplished.  At  the  next 
stroke  the  stock  is  pushed  against  the  stop  K  and  a  finished 
piece  is  cut  out  and  dropped.  . 

A  Special  Forming  Die. 

In  Figs.  240  and  241  is  shown  a  special  forming  die  for  form- 
ing the  piece  shown  "before"  and  "after"  in  Figs.  242  and  243. 


FIG.    240. — PLAN   OF  SPECIAL   FORMING  DIE. 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


171 


The  piece  X  was  made  in  the  screw  machine  from  round  brass 
rod,  with  a  neck  turned  smaller  than  the  body,  and,  as  it  was  im- 
possible to  form  the  head  in  a  solid  die,  the  laterally  opening 
and  closing  die  here  shown  was  made. 


FIG.  241. 

The  base  of  the  bolster  A  was  y2  inch  thick,  and  the  central 
portion  a,  I  inch  thicker,  this  portion  being  planed  dovetailing 
for  the  die  to  slide  in.  The  casting  has  openings  provided  at 
H  H  for  the  tool  clearance  when  planing  the  die  channel.  The 
two  halves  of  the  die  are  machined  together  in  a  single  piece,  and 


FIG.  242. 


FIG.  243. 


after  fitting  into  the  bolster,  are  cut  apart  with  a  narrow  milling 
saw.  One  half  of  the  die  is  fastened  securely  to  the  back  of  the 
channel  in  the  bolster  by  the  flat-head  screws  C  C.  The  other 
half  of  the  die  is  to  slide  in  and  out,  being  forcibly  closed  by 


Face  of  Die 


FIG.    245. 


Vertical  Section  of  Die 


FIG.    246. 


the  handled  eccentric  D,  and  pulled  open  by  the  springs  on  each 
side.  When  the  dies  were  properly  fitted  and  closed  tightly,  the 
bolster  was  strapped  on  the  face-plate  of  the  lathe,  the  hole  for 
the  neck  of  the  piece  drilled,  and  the  shape  for  the  under  side 


172  DIES.    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

of  the  head  worked  out  on  the  face  of  the  die  with  hand  tools, 
after  which  it  was  lapped  smooth.  The  larger  portion  of  the 
hole  is  counterbored  from  the  under  side.  The  depth  of  the 
smaller  hole  in  the  dies,  which  clamps  the  neck  of  the  piece  to  be 
headed,  is  shorter  than  the  length  of  the  neck,  so  that  the  piece 
to  be  formed  will  rise  slightly  above  the  face  of  the  dies  before 
the  lateral  movement  of  the  half  die  in  opening  occurs.  A  hole 
is  drilled  in  the  bottom  of  the  bolster  concentric  with  the  finished 
hole  in  the  die,  and  a  pin  is  driven  in  with  a  loosely  fitting  spring 
around  it  to  serve  as  a  knockout  for  the  finished  work.  A  sec- 
tion of  the  end  of  the  punch  is  shown,  the  finishing  of  which  was 
a  job  of  simple  lathe  work,  requiring  no  special  mention. 

Tu'o  Can-Body  Bending  and  Forming  Machines. 
The   machine   shown   in    Fig.    247   is   used   for    forming   the 


FIG.  247. — CAN-BODY  FORMING  MACHINE,  FOR  BENDING  AND  FORMING 
THE  BODIES  OF  SQUARE,  OBLONG,  CONICAL  AND  PYRAMIDAL  CANS, 
ALLOWING  SIDE  SEAM  TO  BE  SOLDERED  WHILE  BODY  IS  CLAMPED 
IN  FORMING  PARTS. 


I'.KNDING     AND     FORMING    DIES     AND     FIXTURES. 


1/3 


bodies  of  square,  conical  and  pyramidal  cans  and  to  allow  of 
soldering  the  side  seam  while  the  body  is  securely  clamped  in 
the  forming-  fixtures.  When  the  hand  levers  of  the  outside  form- 
ing parts  are  thrown  back  the  horn  or  inside  former  contracts, 
thus  permitting  the  easy  removal  of  the  finished  body.  The  con- 


FIG.    248. — CAN-BODY   FORMING   MACHINE   FOR    CANS   WITH 
LAPPED   OR   LOCKED   SIDE  SEAMS. 

struction  and  arrangement  of  the  working  parts  are  such  as  to 
insure  uniformity  of  size  and  rapidity  of  production. 

The  machine  shown  in  Fig.  248  is  very  extensively  used  when 
equipped  with  fixtures  of  the  type  shown,  for  forming  the  bodies 
of  square,  oblong,  conical  and  pyramidal  cans,  which  are  to  be 
finished  with  either  lapped  or  locked  side  seams.  The  manner 
in  which  the  work  is  accomplished  in  these  machines  can  be  in- 
telligently understood  from  the  illustrations. 


1/4 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


An  Inclined  Press  Equipped  for  Stamping  and  Bending  Body 
Blanks  for  Petroleum  Cans. 

In  Fig.  249  is  shown  an  inclined  press  equipped  with  a  set  of 
dies  for  the  production  of  petroleum  can-body  blanks.  The 
blanks  as  produced  are  shown  on  the  floor  at  the  back  of  the 


FIG.    249. — INCLINED    PRESS   WITH   PANEL-PRESSING   DIE,    HOOK-FORM- 
ING ATTACHMENT,  AUTOMATIC  TRIP-GAGE  AND  BENDING   DEVICE. 

press.  With  a  press  of  this  type  equipped  as  shown,  an  expe- 
rienced operator  can  feed  the  blanks,  stamp  the  panels,  prepare 
the  hooks  and  bend  1,400  body  blanks  per  day. 

A  Novel  Bending  and  Forming  Die. 
The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  250  to  253  was  used  to 


BENDING    AND    FORMING    DIES    AND    FIXTURES. 


175 


"bend  and  form  the  two  extensions  A  A  of  the  blank  shown  in  Fig. 
59,  chapter  III.,  to  the  circular  shape  shown  in  Fig.  60  of  the 
same  chapter,  and  also  to  bend  the  end  C  C  at  right  angles  with 
the  body  in  one  operation,  and  as  it  shows  a  novel  and  rapid 
method  for  accomplishing  the  results  desired  it  is  worthy  of 
attention.  It  is  no  simple  job  to  bend  and  form  a  blank  to  the 
shape  shown  in  one  operation,  but  by  means  of  the  die  shown  it 
was  accomplished  with  ease.  The  principle  of  constructing  the 


FIG.  250. — VERTICAL,  CROSS-SECTION  OK  BENDING  AND  FORMING  DIE. 

parts  for  forming  the  circular  parts  is  somewhat  similar  to  that 
of  another  die  shown  in  this  chapter,  but  the  application  of  it  is 
entirely  different.  As  the  engravings  show  all  that  is  neces- 
sary in  order  to  clearly  understand  the  construction  of  the  parts, 
we  will  confine  ourselves  to  the  description  of  its  operation  and 
use. 

The  manner  in  which  the  forming  and  bending  of  the  blank 
is  accomplished  can  be  understood  from  the  sectional  view  of 
the  punch  and  die  in  Fig.  250,  which  shows  the  blank  in  position 
at  M  on  the  die  P,  it  being  located  by  the  locator  K.  The  in- 


176 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


clined  stud  is  within  the  slide  and  as  the  punch  descends,  the 
portion  J  bends  the  two  ends  A  A  of  the  blank  into  the  die  P, 
which  causes  them  to  spring  clear  of  the  forming  slides  X  and 


Plan  of  Die  with 
Work  in  Position 


FIG.    252. — THE    PUNCH. 


FIG.    251. 

O,  at  the  same  time  the  portion  L  of  the  punch  bends  the  op- 
posite end  of  the  blank  down  over  the  edge  of  the  die  at  O.  As 
the  punch  I  bottoms  on  the  die,  it  remains  stationary  while  the 
holder  continues  to  descend,  and  with  it  the  inclined  stud,  which 

causes  the  forming  slide  to 
move  inward  and  form  the 
ends  A  A  over  the  punch 
at  J,  thereby  finishing  the 
ends  to  the  shape  required. 
As  the  punch  rises,  the  ten- 
sion of  the  spring  in  the 
holder  is.  sufficient  to  keep 

the  punch  I  stationary  until  the  forming  side  has  been 
moved  back  out  of  its  way  by  the  inclined  stud  H. 
The  punch  then  rises  and  the  finished  work  rises  with 
it  and  is  slid  off  by  hand. 

This  punch  and  die  can  be  operated  very  rapidly, 
and  when  once  it  has  been  set  correctly,  it  is  impossible 
to  produce  anything  but  good  work  in  exact  duplication.  We 
do  not  think  that  the  results  accomplished  by  this  die  in  one 
operation  could  be  attained  by  any  other  means  in  as  simple,  prac- 
tical and  inexpensive,  as  well  as  rapid  manner,  and  as  such  we 
think  the  design  and  method  of  construction  could  be  adopted 
to  advantage  for  the  rapid  production  of  a  large  variety  of  bent 
and  formed  blanks  of  the  type  shown,  which  it  is  impossible  to 
produce  in  one  operation  by  dies  of  simpler  construction. 


FIG.  253. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PERFORATING    DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 

The    Use   of  Perforating  Dies. 

The  construction  of  punches  and  dies  for  piercing  or  per- 
forating sheet  metal  is  comparatively  simple  and,  as  no  intricate 
methods  are  involved,  we  will  confine  ourselves  to  describing  a 
few  sets  of  dies  and  to  the  setting  forth  of  the  most  approved 
means  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  desired  results,  from  the 
punching  of  a  single  hole  to  the  multiple  punching  of  any  number 
of  holes.  The  construction  of  the  dies  is  usually  similar  to  that  of 
the  "gang"  type,  and  they  are  used  for  operations  on  work  rang- 
ing from  ornamental  thin  sheet  metal  articles  to  the  punching  ot 
holes  in  steel  beams  and  boiler-plates.  The  holes  pierced  may  be 
of  any  shape  and  spaced  as  desired.  Often  a  number  of  sma.1! 
blanks  are  produced  at  each  stroke  of  the  press  by  dies  of  this 
class,  a  sheet  of  metal  of  the  required  width  being  fed  to  the  dies 
automatically.  Perforated  sheets  of  different  metals  are  now 
in  great  demand  and  are  used  for  a  variety  of  purposes  too  nu- 
merous to  mention. 

The  Construction  of  a  Simple  Piercing  Punch  and  Die. 

In  Figs.  254  and  255  respectively  we  show  a  sectional  view  of 
a  piercing  punch  and  die  and  a  plan  view  of  the  punch.  This 
die  was  used  for  piercing  the  six  holes  R  and  the  large  one  in  the 
center  of  the  drawn  shell  shown  in  Figs.  256,  257.  The  die  B 
made  of  tool  steel  with  a  hole  bored  through  the  center  was  set 
upon  the  dividing  head  of  the  miller  and  the  six  holes  were  in- 
dexed, centered  and  drilled.  The  die  was  then  hardened  and 
drawn  and  the  holes  ground  and  lapped  to  size — grinding  the 
large  one  and  lapping  the  six  small  ones.  The  bolster  A  was  bored 
to  admit  the  die  B  with  a  clearance  hole  in  the  base,  two  holes 
E  E  being  drilled  in  the  ends  and  one  bored  at  the  top  to  admit 
the  gage  plate  C.  This  was  fastened  to  the  die  B  and  within 
A  by  six  round  head  screws  D  D,  the  face  of  B  was  ground,  the 
various  parts  assembled  and  the  die  was  complete. 

The  punch  consists  of  a- cast  iron  holder  F,  turned  and  fin- 


J78 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


ished,  and  of  the  hardened  and  ground  central  punch  G,  which 
was  let  into  a  hole  in  the  center  shouldering  against  the  face  of 
the  holder,  as  shown,  and  fastened  by  a  large  set-screw,  not 


M 


jj  I    J 

\\\\v 


PIG.  254. — SIMPLE   PIERCING   DIE. 

shown.     The  holes  for  the  six  small  punches  H  were  transferred 
through  the  die  B  to  the  face  of  the  holder  F  and  drilled  and 


M 


FIG.   255.— PLAN  OP  PUNCH.  FIGS.  256  AND  257. — THE  WORK. 

reamed  to  size,  after  which  the  hardened  and  ground  punches 
were  let  in  and  fastened  by  the  set-screws  M. 


PERFORATING    DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 


179 


Now  came  the  stripper  plate  L,  for  stripping  the  work  from 
the  punches,  which  fitted  over  them  freely.  See  Figs.  254  and 
255.  The  studs  III  with  heads  3-16  inch  larger  in  diameter 
than  the  bodies  were  screwed  into  the  plate  L ;  three  holes  J  J  J 
were  drilled  in  F  to  allow  them  to  move  up  and  down  freely,  and 


Fig.  4— Flat  Skimmer 


Fig.  5— Pepper  Top  Fig.  6— Colander 


Fig.  8 
Burner 
Gallery 


Fig.  10 
Fig.  9— Can  Top  Can  Top 


Fig.  7 
Gasolene  Burner  Shell 


Fig.  11 — Steamer  Bottom 


Fig.  12— Grater 


Fig.  13— Strainer 


•••••••• 

•  ••••••I 


Fig.  11 
Perforated  Strip 


Fig  15 
Perforated  Sheet 


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Standard  Perforations  for  Tin  Plate 


FIG.    258. — SAMPLES   OF  PERFORATING  DIE   WORE. 


l8o  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

were  counterbored  half-way  down  to  allow  the  heads  I  I  T  to 
shoulder  and  to  keep  the  plate  L  even  with  the  face  of  the  punches. 
The  three  spiral  springs  K  K  K  were  slipped  over  the  studs  I  and 
the  tools  set  up  in  the  press.  The  work  was  now  placed  within 
the  gage  plate  C,  the  punch  descending,  the  large  punch  G 
blanking  the  center  hole  and  entering  the  die  first,  and  continu- 
ing down  until  the  small  punches  had  pierced  the  work.  On  the 
up  stroke  the  work  was  stripped  from  the  punches  by  the  stripper 
plate  L  actuated  by  the  springs  K  K  K. 

Piercing  Tivo  Holes  on  Opposite  Sides  of  Drawn  Shells. 

In  Fig.  259  is  shown  a  horizontal  two-slide  foot  press  equipped 
with  die  and  punches  for  punching  simultaneously  two  holes  or 


FIG.   259. — HORIZONTAL  TWO-SLIDE   FOOT   PRESS. 

slots  on  opposite  sides  of  drawn  shells.  As  the  half-tone  shows 
everything  plainly,  very  little  description  is  necessary.  The  die 
is  located  in  the  center  and  is  made  with  cutting  edges  on  op- 


PERFORATING   DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK.  l8l 

posite  sides  and  a  clearance  hole  through  the  bottom  as  an  escape 
for  the  scrap  or  punchings.  The  punches  are  of  steel  rod  and  are 
located  and  fastened  in  punch  holders  or  chucks  which  are  ad- 
justable and  mounted  on  slides  which  are  provided  with  adjust- 
able gibs.  Each  slide,  as  shown,  is  equipped  with  an  adjustable 
stop  to  allow  of  piercing  shells  of  different  diameters.  Dies  of 
this  type  when  used  in  a  machine  of  the  class  shown  are  very 
convenient  for  rapidly  and  accurately  piercing  shells  for  lamp- 
burners,  satchel  locks,  and  a  variety  of  other  shells  requiring 
holes  punched  on  opposite  sides. 

Fixtures  for  Perforating  Burners  and  Other  Shells. 

Figs.  260  to  264  show  five  different  sets  of  perforating  fixtures 
in  position  on  presses  for  perforating  burner  shells,  etc.  Fix- 
tures of  this  type  are  used  very  extensively  for  work  which  it  is 
desired  to  perforate  all  around.  The  construction  of  the  punches, 
dies  and  fixtures  used  requires  little  description  as  the  half-tones 
show  nearly  all  that  is  necessary  for  an  intelligent  understanding 
of  their  adaptation  and  use. 

These  attachments  shown  here  represent  only  a  few  of  many 
perforating  devices  which  are  used  for  sheet  metal  shells  of 
various  shapes.  The  attachments  shown  in  Figs.  260  and  261  are 
made  for  taper  and  crowning  shells,  which  necessitates  the  setting 
of  die  holder  and  rotating  device  at  an  angle  to  the  lower  face  of 
the  slide.  The  other  attachments  are  for  perforating  cylindrical 
work.  For  perforating  special  shapes  of  shells  special  attach- 
ments have  to  be  devised.  The  number  of  holes  perforated  at 
each  stroke  depends  upon  the  shape  of  the  shell  operated  upon. 

In  attachments  of  the  type  shown  the  perforating  die,  with  a 
chuck  of  suitable  shape,  is  mounted  on  a  die-holder,  and  a  rat- 
chet having  teeth  spaced  to  suit  the  spacing  of  the  holes  de- 
sired in  the  shells,  is  mounted  and  arranged  to  rotate  the  shell  at 
each  stroke  of  the  slide.  By  the  use  of  such  attachments  per- 
forating may  be  done  at  the  rate  of  150  to  200  strokes  a  minute, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  shell  and  its  shape. 

The  adjustments  of  the  parts  of  these  perforating -attachments 
are  easily  and  quickly  made,  so  that  but  a  short  time  is  required  to 
change  the  attachments  from  one  style  of  shell  to  another.  Presses 
in  which  such  attachments  are  used  are  often  furnished  with  a 
latch  lock  for  the  clutch  connection,  which  is  automatically  re- 
leased after  each  complete  revolution  of  the  article  on  the  per- 


1 82 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


L 


FIG.    260. 


FIG.    262 


IG.  263. — SHELLS.  FIG.  264. 

FIXTURES  FOR  PERFORATING  BURNERS  AND  OTHER  SHELLS. 


PERFORATING    DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK.  183 

forating  chuck,  thus  stopping  the  press  automatically  after  the 
requisite  results  and  number  of  strokes  have  been  made. 

Press  With  Cam-Actuated  Stripper  for  Perforating  Sheet  Metal. 

For  perforating  articles  of  considerable  size  or  flat  plates 
which  are  to  be  afterward  drawn  and  formed  to  shape,  or  left  flat 
as  the  case  may  be,  dies  of  the  usual  construction  will  not  do,  as 
on  such  dies  stationary  strippers  are  used  and  they  are  liable  to 
distort  the  metal  punched  by  them,  often  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
require  subsequent  straightening. 

To  overcome  this  defect,  a  press  with  a  cam-actuated  stripper 
should  be  used,  especially  on  accurate  work  such  as  parts  of 
clocks,  electric  instruments,  etc!  A  press  equipped  in  this  man- 
ner is  shown  in  Fig.  265.  As  shown,  the  stripping  device  is  such 
as  to  leave  a  clear  space  between  the  punch  and  die,  thus  allow- 
ing of  the  operator  manipulating  and  observing  the  work  quickly 
and  accurately.  The  action  of  the  stripper  when  the  press  is 
being  operated  is  as  follows :  The  stripper  plate  strikes  the 
blank  first,  or  article  as  the  case  may  be,  straightening  and 
clamping  it  before  the  punches  enter,  and  holding  it  under  pres- 
sure while  the  punching  and  stripping  are  being  accomplished. 
In  this  manner  the  blank  or  formed  piece  comes  out  perfectly 
straight  or  true.  The  punches  used  in  a  press  of  this  type  may 
be  made  considerably  shorter  than  where  a  die  with  a  stationary 
stripper  is  used,  thus  making  them  considerably  more  resistant 
and  durable.  Also,  in  this  manner,  a  smaller  hole  in  propor- 
tion to  the  thickness  of  stock  may  be  pierced,  because  of  the  close 
support  which  is"  given  to  the  punches  by  the  movable  stripper  up 
to  the  point  where  they  enter  the  stock. 

Piercing  and  Blanking  Armature  Disks  in  One  Operation. 

In  Fig.  266  we  show  a  set  of  dies  as  located  in  an  inclinable 
press  for  accurately  piercing  and  blanking  armature  disks  for 
small  generators  and  motors.  The  press  is  equipped  with  an  auto- 
matic knock-out  and  its  inclined  position  allows  of  the  blank  after 
being  punched  and  pierced  being  lifted  out  of  the  die  and  sliding 
off  at  the  back  by  gravity.  The  pierced  blanks  are  usually  pro- 
duced by  dies  of  this  type  from  strips  sheared  to  the  necessary 
width.  As  shown,  the  construction  of  the  dies  is  such  as  to  al- 
low of  the  outside  and  the  inside  of  the  disk  being  punched  sim- 
ultaneously, after  which  it  is  held  between  the  face  of  the  blanking 


1 84 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


punch  and  the  face  of  the  pad  and  descends  far  enough  to  allow  of 
the  piercing  punches,  which  are  located  around  the  die,  piercing 
the  holes.  The  finished  disks  as  produced  by  dies  of  this  con- 
struction are  shown  on  the  floor  beside  the  press. 


FIG.  265.— PRESS   WITH    CAM-ACTUATED   STRIPPER   FOR 
PERFORATING   SHEET   METAL. 

A  Quadruplicate  Automatic  Slide  Die  for  Piercing  Conical 

Shells. 

The  die  shown  in  Figs.  267  to  271  was  used  for  the  economic 
production  of  a  pierced  brass  shell  which  was  being  manu- 
factured in  large  lots  and  which  formed  the  draft  regulator  of  a 


PERFORATING    DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK.  I»5 

new  burner  of  the  "Bunsen"  type.  As  the  chief  feature  sought  in 
this  line  of  manufacture  is  the  reduction  of  cost  and  the  elimina- 
tion of  as  many  operations  as  possible,  a  die  which  allows  the 


TIG.     266.—  INCLINABLE     ARMATURE      DISK-CUTTING     PRESS,      WITH 
POSITIVE    KNOCK-OUT    DEVICES    FOR    PUNCH    AND    DIE. 

accomplishment  in  one  that  which  usually  requires  three  or  more 
operations  cannot  fail  to  interest. 

The  shell  to  be  pierced  was  of  conical  shape,  as  shown  in  the 
section  P  P,  Fig.  267,  and  was  blanked  and  drawn  and  a  hole 
pierced  in  the  bottom  at  O  in  a  previous  operation.  To  finish  the 


1 86 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


shell  it  was  necessary  to  pierce  it  at  four  points  equidistant 
around  the  conical  portion  with  an  oblong  slot  I  and  two  circular 
holes  J  J  on  each  of  the  four  sides.  To  accomplish  this  in  one 
operation  the  die,  Fig.  267,  was  constructed.  A  plan  of  the  die 
is  shown  in  Fig.  268,  and  of  the  inclined  studs  and  holder  in 
Fig.  269.  The  die  is  of  the  automatic  slide  type,  quadruplicate  in 
action,  punching  from  four  sides  at  the  same  time  by  means  of 
four  slides,  in  each  of  which  is  located  a  set  of  punches,  which 


FIG.  267. — VERTICAL  SECTION   OP   DIE. 

are  worked  back  and  forth  by  means  of  inclined  studs  which  are 
located  and  fastened  within  a  holder,  which  is  in  turn  located  and 
fastened  within  the  press  ram. 

All  the  parts  of  the  die  proper  are  contained  within  a  holder 
or  base  A  A.  This  base  resembles  the  usual  die  bolster,  but  in- 
stead of  being  cast  iron  was  a  forging  of  wrought  iron,  for  rea- 
sons which  are  at  once  obvious.  This  forging  was  finished  with  a 
circular  raised  portion  and  with  an  extension  to  the  base  at  each 
end  for  fastening  it  to  the  press  bolster.  Before  starting  to  ma- 


PERFORATING   DIES    FOR   THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 


i87 


chine  the  holder  further  the  piercing  die  H  H  was  got  out.  A 
piece  of  round  annealed  steel  about  2  inches  long  and  the  same  in 
diameter  was  first  bored  to  the  shape  and  size  shown,  terminating 
in  a  shoulder  at  L  L,  and  then  finished  with  a  hole  of  smaller 
diameter  straight  through  for  the  clamping  sleeve.  The  die  was 
then  turned  outside  and  the  ends  were  finished  to  the  shape  shown 


FIG.  263. — PLAN  OF  LOWER 
SECTION. 


FIG.  269. — PLAN  OF  UPPER 
SECTION. 


in  the  detail  drawing,  Fig.  271 — that  is,  to  fit  tightly  the  inside  of 
the  shell  to  be  pierced  and  then  reduced  for  the  remainder  of 
its  length  to  the  diameter  shown.  The  outside  was  then  nicely 
polished  and  we  were  ready  to  locate  and  finish  the  four  sets  of 
piercing  dies. 

The  positions  in  which  these  dies  are  located  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  were  worked  out  can  be  understood  from  Fig. 


O 


FIG.   270. — PUNCH  SLIDE.        FIG.  27 1. — DIE   PROPER. 

267.  A  mild  steel  stud  was  turned  with  a  taper  stem  to  fit  the 
dividing  head  of  the  universal  milling  machine  and  the  other  end 
to  a  driving  fit  within  the  smallest  end  of  the  die  blank.  The  ar- 
bor or  stud  was  then  driven  into  the  die  blank  and  the  taper  end 
located  within  the  head  of  the  milling  machine,  which  was  then 
set  vertical.  The  holes  for  the  round  piercing  dies  J  were  then 
located  and  spotted  and  drilled  by  manipulating  the  feed  screws 


1 88  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

and  getting  the  distances,  which  had  been  previously  deter  nined, 
finishing  the  holes  within  a  reaming  size  of  the  diameter  re- 
quired. The  locating  of  the  oblong  piercing  dies  was  accom- 
plished in  the  same  manner,  they  being  located  directly  in  the 
center  of  the  blank  in  each  position.  The  accomplishment  of 
these  separate  results,  of  course,  entailed  considerable  tirre,  pa- 
tience, skill  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  use  of  the  universal 
miller. 

After  all  the  foregoing  had  been  accomplished  and  the  holes 
being  drilled  at  what  were  to  be  the  extreme  ends  of  the  oblong 
piercing  slot  K,  the  die  was  removed  from  the  arbor  and  the  round 
piercing  dies  were  reamed  to  size,  reaming  each  two  holes  which 
were  in  line  with  each  other  at  the  same  time.  A  slight  clearance 
was  then  given  these  dies  by  inserting  a  small  taper  reamer 
through  the  holes  from  the  inside  and  holding  the  projecting  end 
in  the  drill  chuck  while  reaming  the  holes.  The  oblong  dies 
were  then  worked  out  in  the  usual  manner,  first  by  hand,  with 
a  file,  and  then  finished  in  line  with  their  opposites  and  to  dupli- 
cate size  by  forcing  a  broach  through  them.  The  die  was  then 
hardened  in  oil,  and  drawn  to  a  medium  straw  temper  and  the 
outside  ground,  which  gave  all  the  dies  a  sharp  cutting  edge  and 
allowed  the  shells  to  fit  nicely  over  it. 

The  forging  A  A  for  the  die  holder  was  now  machined.  It 
was  first  strapped  to  the  lathe  face-plate  with  the  bottom  up  and 
finished  at  B  B  as  a  locating  surface,  at  C  C  for  the  stripper  pin 
adjusting  screws  and  at  D  D  for  the  clamping  nuts  M.  A  hole 
was  bored  straight  through  for  the  clamping  sleeve  K  and  reamed 
to  size.  The  forging  was  then  reversed  on  the  face-plate,  a  cut 
was  taken  off  the  top,  and  a  seat  was  bored  to  locate  the  die  in, 
as  shown  at  G  G,  the  outside  of  the  round  top  was  turned  and 
the  ends  A  A  were  faced,  this  being  possible  at  the  one  setting  as 
the  work  was  located  and  fastened  to  the  face-plate  by  means  of 
screws  let  in  from  the  back. 

We  were  now  ready  to  mill  the  four  slide-ways  for  the  four 
punch  slides.  This  was  done  by  strapping  the  forging  on  paral- 
lels to  the  table  of  the  universal  miller ;  milling  the  slide-ways  by 
means  of  an  angular  cutter  and  the  vertical  attachment,  first  locat- 
ing the  work  so  that  the  slide- ways  would  come  as  central  as 
possible  with  the  die  seat  at  G  G,  then  milling  straight  across,  and 
finishing  the  two  opposite  slide-ways  as  shown ;  finishing  so  as  to 
allow  of  a  gib  for  each  slide.  The  two  remaining  channels  were 


PERFORATING   DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK.  189 

milled  by  feeding  the  work  against  the  cutter  at  right  angles  to 
the  first  two.  Care  was  taken  to  have  the  cutter  sharp,  and  a 
good  flow  of  oil  running  on  it  while  cutting,  so  as  to  get  as 
smooth  a  finish  as  possible. 

The  hollow  clamping  sleeve  K  for  locating  and  clamping  the 
die  was  of  tool  steel  and  was  first  bored  and  reamed  to  the  dia- 
meter shown,,  as  an  outlet  for  the  punchings.  It  was  then 
turned  on  the  outside  to  fit  snugly  the  center  hole  in  the  holder  at 
F  F,  with  a  head  at  L  L  to  clamp  the  die  down,  and  threaded  at 
the  other  end  for  the  nuts.  Holes  were  drilled  around  the  inside 
of  the  holder  on  a  radius  shown  in  the  plan  view,  Fig.  268,  for 
the  four  stripper  pins  M,  drilling  all  holes  entirely  through,  and 
enlarging  and  tapping  them  at  the  back  for  the  spring  adjusting 
screws. 

The  four  punch  slides  or  rams  I,  2,  3  and  4  were  of  tool  steel, 
milled  all  over  and  fitted  to  the  channels  in  the  holder.  The 
inclined  holes  in  each  slide  were  then  worked  out,  finishing  each 
to  the  same  angle  with  the  slide  face  and  polishing  the.  wearing 
surfaces  as  smooth  as  possible.  The  locating  of  the  punches 
within  the  pads  T  and  the  locating  in  turn  of  the  pads  on  the 
slide  faces  were  accomplished  as  follows :  Four  pieces  of  mild 
steel  were  planed  up  and  milled  to  the  angular  shape  of  the  slide 
face,  only  smaller  all  around,  as  shown  at  T  in  the  detail,  Fig. 
270.  The  four  oblong  piercing  punches  U  were  finished  to  fit 
the  die,  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  dark  blue  temper,  and  one  let 
into  and  located  in  the  center  of  each  of  the  pads,  getting  them 
in  the  approximately  correct  position ;  they  were  then  upset  or 
riveted  at  the  back  to  prevent  pulling  out  when  in  action.  Next 
the  piercing  die  H  H  was  located  and  fastened  within  the  holder 
and  adjusted  until  the  pads  would  rest  squarely  against  the  faces 
of  the  punch  slides,  and  the  punches  enter  the  dies  nicely.  Each 
of  the  pads  was  then  securely  clamped  to  its  slide  face,  the  slides 
were  removed  from  the  holder  and  the  holes  drilled 'for  the  two 
dowels  I  I  in  each  and  into  the  slide.  These  holes  were  then 
reamed  and  the  pins  driven  into  the  pad,  fitting  snugly  into  the 
holes  in  the  slides.  We  now  had  a  perfect  alignment  of  the 
oblong  piercing  punches  with  their  dies.  The  two  flat-head 
screws  were  then  let  into  each  pad  and  slide,  and  the  pads  were 
relocated  to  their  respective  slides. 

The  holes  for  the  two  piercing  punches  in  each  pad  at  V  V 
were  located  by  entering  a  slide  into  its  channel  and  moving  it 


I9O  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

up  until  the  oblong  piercing  punch  had  entered  the  die;  then,  by 
using  an  extra  long  drill  of  Stubs  wire,  the  holes  were  located 
and  spotted  in  perfect  alignment,  drilling  through  the  dies  and 
allowing  the  center  drill  to  enter  the  hole  opposite  the  proper 
piercing  die  and  project  through  the  piercing  die  and  spot  the 
pad.  This  operation  was  repeated  until  the  holes  for  all  the 
punches  had  been  located.  The  holes  were  then  drilled  and 
reamed  to  the  required  size,  slightly  countersunk  at  the  back,  and 
the  punches  of  Stubs  wire  let  in  and  upset,  leaving  them  some- 
what longer  than  the  oblong  piercing  punches.  The  stripping 
pins  were  then  got  out,  as  were  also  the  springs  and  adjusting 
screws,  and  all  parts  were  assembled  within  the  holder  A  A. 

There  now  remained  to  finish  the  four  inclined  studs  i,  2,  3 
and  4,  the  holder  for  them  and  the  spring  pad  Z  for  holding  and 
locating  the  work  on  the  die  while  being  pierced.  The  inclined 
studs  were  of  tool  steel,  and  a  brief  description  will  suffice.  The 
portions  f  f  are  straight,  so  as  to  move  down  a  certain  distance 
while  the  work  is  being  secured  on  the  die  by  the  spring  pad 
Z,  and  are  then  finished  at  e  e  to  the  .same  incline  as  the  holes  S 
in  the  slides.  They  are  finished  with  a  stiff  wire  shoulder  at 
d  d.,  to  locate  against  the  face  of  the  holder,  and  tiie  end  c  c  is 
turned  to  fit  tightly.  The  locating,  spacing  and  finishing  of  these 
four  stud  holes  in  the  holder  was  accomplished  to  the  desired 
degree  of  accuracy,  by  chucking  the  holder  by  the  stem  in  the 
dividing  head  of  the  universal  milling  machine,  indexing  for  four 
and  spotting  the  holes  and  afterward  drilling  and  reaming  them 
to  the  size  required  on  the  drill  press. 

The  drawn  shell  is  slipped  over  the  die  by  the  hand  of  the 
press  operator  and  rests  on  the  tops  of  the  four  stripping  jJ.ns 
M,  two  of  which  can  be  seen.  As  the  operator  places  his  foot 
on  the  treadle,  the  holder,  in  which  are  located  the  inclined  studs, 
commences  to  descend,  all  parts  of  the  die  remaining  stationary 
until  the  spring  pad  a  a  strikes  the  work  and  commences  to  force 
it  down  on  the  die,  when  the  inclined  portions  of  the  slide  studs 
strike  the  faces  of  the  inclined  holes  in  the  slides  and  commence 
to  move  them  inward.  The  spring  pad  a  a  having  meanwhile 
forced  the  shell  down  on  the  die  remains  stationary,  while  the 
holder  in  which  it  is  located  continues  to  descend  and  the  inclined 
studs  move  the  slides  toward  the  die,  all  the  punches  pierce  the 
work  and  enter  the  die.  The  inclined  stud  holder  then  ascends 
and  the  slides  move  backward,  and,  as  the  piercing  punches  clear 


PERFORATING   DIES    FOR   THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK.  IQI 

the  work,  the  spring  pad  a  a  rises  from  the  shell,  which  is  in 
turn  stripped  from  the  die  by  the  springs  under  the  four  stripper 
pins  M,  and  the  spring  left  in  the  metal  by  the  piercing  is  suf- 
ficient to  cause  the  shell  to  spring  clear  of  the  die  as  soon  as 
the  stripper  pins  loosen  it,  and,  as  the  press  is  tilted  or  inclined, 
the  pierced  shell  drops  off  at  the  back  and  another  can  be  instantly 
located. 

Regular  and  Staggered  Perforating. 

In  Figs.  272  to  287  are  shown  a  number  of  samples  of  per- 
forated metal.  As  shown,  some  of  the  patterns  are  staggered  and 
others  are  regular;  to  produce  them  a  single  gang  or  row  of 
punches  or  a  double  row  are  used.  When  a  double  gang  of 
punches  and  dies  are  used  the  metal  is  usually  fed  automatically 
by  means  of  a  roller  feed  to  a  press  of  the  type  shown  in  Fig. 
288.  The  construction  of  .the  punches  and  dies  used  in  a  press 
of  this  kind  is  such  as  to  allow  of  removing  any  one  of  a  num- 
ber of  punches  or  dies  without  disturbing  the  others.  The 
punches  are  usually  located  in  a  cast  iron  holder  which  is  fitted 
to  a  dovetailed  channel  in  the  face  of  the  press  ram.  The  punches 
are  short  and  stocky  and  are  fastened  by  set  screws.  The  dies 
are  tool  steel  bushings  hardened  and  ground  and  let  into  holes 
drilled  and  reamed  in  a  bolster  of  similar  construction  to  that 
used  for  the  punches.  The  bushings  are  also  fastened  by  set 
screws.  The  press  shown  in  Fig.  288  will  punch  one  hundred 
and  fifty-four  holes  in  %  -inch  plate  at  each  stroke  of  the  ram.  It 
is  provided  with  a  roller  attachment  consisting  of  four  adjust- 
able rolls,  6  inches  in  diameter  and  54  inches  long,  which  feeds 
the  stock  automatically  in  multiples  of  sixteenths  of  an  inch  up  to 
4  inches.  For  heavy  work  the  back  gears  are  used,  while  for 
lighter  work  they  are  thrown  out  so  as  to  give  a  higher  speed. 
The  slide  adjustment  is  such  as  to  allow  of  raising  or  lowering 
it  to  overcome  the  shortening  of  the  punches  through  wear. 

Perforating  Press  with  Automatic  Spacing  Table. 

Fig.  289  shows  another  type  of  press  used  for  perforating 
flat  sheets  of  metal.  A  sample  of  the  work  accomplished  in  this 
press  is  shown  in  the  same  figure.  The  punches  and  dies  used 
on  this  job  are  shown  located  and  fastened  within  the  press  and 
their  construction  is  plainly  shown.  The  press  as  equipped 
punches  a  row  of  forty-three  ^-inch  square  holes,  3-i6-inch 


192 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


y///////// 


FIGS.    272    TO    277. — NEEDLE  SLOT  SCREENS — SAMPLES   OF 
PERFORATED   METAL. 


PERFORATING    DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK.  193 


FIGS.    278    TO    281. — SAMPLES   OF    PERFORATED    METAL. 


194 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIGS.  282    TO    287. — SAMPLES   OF  STAGGERED    PERFORATIONS 
IN  SHEET   METAL. 


PERFORATING   DIES    FOR   THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 


195 


spaces,  in  *4-inch  plate  and  feeds  the  plate  forward  for  the 
next  row.  When  square  or  irregular  shaped  holes  are  to  be 
punched,  as  shown  here,  the  dies  are  usually  worked  out  in  one 
long  piece  of  tool  steel  or  a  number  of  segments  are  used,  as  it 
would  be  impossible  to  secure  a  perfect  alignment  between  all 


FIG.  288. — PRESS  MILL  ROLLER  FEED  FOR  PERFORATING. 

punches  and  dies  where  bushings  were  used,  because  of  the  irregu- 
lar shape  of  the  dies. 

Double  Roll  Feed  Perforating  Press  Having  Lateral  Feed  for 
Staggered  Patterns  in  Perforated  Metal. 

When  irregular  or  staggered  patterns  are  to  be  produced  in 
perforated  metal  by  means  of  a  single  row  or  gang  of  punches 
and  dies,  a  press  with  a  roll  feed  having  a  lateral  motion  must 
be  used.  We  show  a  press  of  this  type  in  Fig.  292.  This  press 
equipped  with  suitable  tools  will  punch  240  >^-inch  holes  in 
i-i6-inch  plate,  staggering  the  pattern  as  the  metal  is  fed.  It  is 
equipped  with  a  cam-actuated  stripper  and  the  feed  rolls  are 
provided  with  a  side  motion  which  automatically  shifts  the 
metal  sideways  at  each  stroke,  thus  allowing  of  perforating  a 
staggered  pattern,  Fig.  290,  by  means  of  a  single  row  or  gang 
of  dies.  This  reciprocating  motion  which  shifts  the  feed  rolls 


196 


DIES.    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


can  be  easily  adjusted  for  different  patterns,  and  should  amount 
in  each  case  to  one-half  the  distance  between  the  centers  of  the 
holes  in  the  dies.  The  expense  of  constructing  dies  for  use  in  ;i 
press  of  this  type,  embodying,  as  it  dees,  one-half  of  the  holes 
and  punches  that  would  otherwise  be  required,  is  about  one-half 
the  usual  cost.  By  omitting  the  intermediate  holes  in  the  dies 
the  remaining  ones  are  far  enough  apart  to  allow  of  using  steel 


FIG.    289. — PERFORATING  PRESS  WITH  AUTOMATIC   SPACING  TABLE. 

bushings  in  a  machine  steel  or  cast  iron  holder,  as  shown  in  Fig, 
291,  thereby  obviating  the  difficulties  of  hardening  dies  made 
in  one  piece  or  segments,  and  permitting  the  quick  repairing  of 
any  damage  done  to  any  of  the  holes  by  inserting  a  new  bush- 
ing, which  will  amount  to  no  more,  in  the  way  of  time  and 
expense,  than  putting  in  a  new  punch. 

In  a  press  of  this  kind  the  feed-roll  brackets  are  so  hinged" 
on  the  frames  that  they  can  be  easily  swung  back  for  the  pur- 


PERFORATING    DIES    FOR   THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 


197 


pose  of  changing-  or  adjusting  any  of  the  tools.     The  support 
of  the  stripper  is  made  in  sections,  each  of  which  can  be  swung 


'    O.  •    O       O 

O    -a    '0  :  O 


t), 


wwwww 

ill  Iff  I, 


PIG.   290. — STAGGERED   PATTERN.  FIG.    291. — DIE   CONSTRUCTION. 

forward  for  removing  or  replacing  any  of  the  punches.  The 
punches  are  backed  against  a  steel  bar  which  is  also  made  in 
sections,  so  that  there  is  no  need  of  disturbing  more  than  a 


292.— LARGE  PERFORATING  PRESS  WITH  DOUBLE  ROLL  FEED,  HAVING 
'LATERAL  MOTION  FOR  STAGGERED  PATTERNS;  ALSO  EQUIPPED  WITH  CAM- 
ACTUATED  STRIPPER. 


198 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


section  of  it  for  the  sake  of  replacing  a  broken  or  sheared  punch. 
A  press  of  this  type  when  properly  equipped  with  tools  will 
punch  in  ten  hours  forty  sheets  50  x  96  inches  of  No.  16  iron 
with  */6 -inch  round  perforations  of  any  ordinary  pattern. 

For  perforating  very  heavy  sheets,  or  where  but  a  small 
quantity  of  the  same  pattern  or  design  of  perforating  is  wanted, 
it  does  not  generally  pay  to  make  dies  for  the  entire  width  of 
the  sheet,  such  as  are  used  in  the  press  shown  in  Fig.  292.  which 
finishes  the  whole  sheet  in  one  passing  through.  Instead  a  press 
with  an  accurate  sliding  table  should  be  used  and  the  dies 
made  to  perforate  a  row  of  holes  in  one-half  of  the  width  of  the 
sheet,  thus  necessitating  the  passing  of  the  metal  twice  beneath 
the  punches. 

The  Constructing  of  a  Special  Punch  Press  for  Perforating  Tin 

Ferrules. 

The  press  was  for  punching  tw.o  rows  of  holes  in  tin  ferrules 


FIG.    293. — PLAN   OP   LOWER   SECTION. 

of  the  shape  shown  at  E,  Fig.  295.     These  ferrules  were  used 
as  frames  and  stiffeners  for  bicycle  handle  tips,  and  after  being 


PERFORATING   DIES    FOR   THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 


199 


punched  were  set  into  a  mould  and  a  composition  resembling 
rubber  run  around  them  arid  into  the  holes.  There  were  to  be 
two  rows  of  holes,  fifteen  in  number,  spaced  equally  around  the 
outside,  five  in  the  top  row  and  ten  in  the  bottom.  As  will  be 
seen,  it  was  impossible  to  devise  a  practical  means  for  punching 
them  in  one  operation  in  the  ordinary  power  press,  so  the  special 
punch  press  shown  here  was  designed  and  made. 

At   first   a   circular   casting  A,   Figs.  -294  and   295,   with   a 


FIG.    294. — LOWER   SECTION. 


FIG.    295. — STRIPPING  ARRANGEMENT. 


hub  on  the  back  .or  under  side  was  faced  and  bored.  A  recess 
was  also  counterbored  for  locating  centrally  the  die  E.  The 
casting  A  was  turned  and  finished  oh  the  outside  and  was  then 
reversed  and  a  hole  bored  and  threaded  for  the  central  stud  D. 
After  the  hub  was  faced  it  was  ready  for  the  miller.  As  shown 
in  Fig.  293  there  are  five  rams,  or  slides,  equally  spaced  and 
radial,  and  equipped  with  three  punches  each.  In  milling  the 
channels  for  these  slides  a  threaded  arbor,  fitting  the  hub  of 
the  casting  with  a  wide  shoulder  for  the  hub  to  rest  against,  was 


2OO  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

made  and  finished  with  a  taper  shank  fitting  the  dividing  head  of 
the  universal  miller.  It  was  then  set  up  on  the  table  facing  the 
spindle  by  using  the  extension  plate.  The  table  was  raised  and 
moved  until  the  work  A  was  perfectly  true  and  central  with  the 
spindle.  This  was  done  by  using  a  bent  scriber  in  the  chuck  and 
truing  the  center  hole  in  the  work  by  it.  An  end  mill  of  the 
size  required  was  used  to  mill  the  channels,  indexing  for  five, 
starting  from  the  center  and  running  straight  through  to  the 
depth  shown  in  Fig.  294. 

The  five  slides  B,  of  machine  steel,  were  then  made  to  fit 
the  channels  in  A  snugly,  leaving  a  margin  on  each  side  even 
with  the  top  of  A,  and  9-32  inch  wide  for  the  gibs.  These 
gibs,  or  plates,  were  of  3-1 6-inch  thick  cold-rolled  stock  and 
were  fastened  with  six  screws  each,  as  shown.  The  next  thing 
was  to  drill  the  holes  in  the  slides  B  for  the  punches.  This  was 
a  rather  delicate  job.  The  slides  were  first  finished  to  exactly 
the  same  length  as  the  channels  and  then  located  in  the  channels 
in  A  with  their  ends  even  with  the  outside  of  A.  The  plates  or 
gibs  were  then  tightened,  holding  the  slides  fast.  The  casting 
A  was  now  replaced  on  the  dividing  head  with  the  work  upward, 
and  the  table  was  raised  until  the  work  was  high  enough  for 
the  top  row  of  holes.  A  small  center  drill  was  then  held  in  the 
chuck  and  the  head  revolved  until  the  exact  center  of  one  of  the 
slides  coincided  with  the  point  of  the  drill.  The  center  was 
then  carefully  spotted  and  the  head  moved  one-fifth  of  a  turn 
to  the  center  of  the  next  slide.  This  center  was  drilled,  and 
the  rest  likewise.  A  drill  the  diameter  of  the  punch  was  used 
and  each  hole  drilled  to  the  desired  depth.  The  table  was  then 
raised  for  the  next  line  of  holes,  shown  in  Fig.  296.  As  there 
shown,  there  are  two  holes  in  each  slide  5-16  inch  apart,  each  one 
an  equal  distance  from  the  center  of  the  upper  one.  The  table 
was  moved  along  exactly  5-32  inch  and  the  hole  centered;  then 
indexed  for  five,,  the  holes  drilled  in  the  other  four  slides,  and 
the  starting  point  was  again  arrived  at.  The  table  was  now 
moved  in  the  opposite  direction  5-16  inch,  and  the  other  holes 
centered  and  drilled.  We  were  now  sure  that  the  holes  were 
accurately  spaced  and  correct,  and  the  exact  distance  between  the 
two  lower  holes  and  the  distance  between  the  centers  of  the  upper 
and  lower  lines  were  noted.  The  slides  B  were  then  scraped 
and  eased  to  a  sliding  fit.  They  were  then  removed  and  a  slot, 
y%  inch  wide  and  13-16  inch  long,  milled  through  from  the  top, 


PERFORATING    DIES    FOR    THIN    AND    HEAVY    STOCK. 


201 


as  shown  at  F,  Fig.  296,  being  sure  to  get  them  all  the  same 
distance  from  the  faces.  A  9-32-inch  hole  was  let  through  from 
the  side  at  G  and  the  slides  were  finished. 

The  central  stud  D,  the  construction  of  which  is  shown 
deafly  in  Fig.  295,  was  made — it  requires  no  description.  Six 
holes  were  drilled  through  the  hub  A,  equal  distances  apart,  with 
a  3-32-inch  drill,  all  on  a  1 3-32-inch  radius,  for  the  pins  of  the 
stripping  attachment,  which  was  made  as  shown  in  Fig.  295. 
It  consisted,  first,  of  a  cast  iron  collar  W,  7-16  inch  thick,  bored 
and  reamed  to  fit  the  stud  D  nicely.  Six  equally  spaced  holes 
were  drilled  with  a  radius  sufficient  to  clear  the  largest  part  of 
the  stud,  and  deep  enough  to  allow  six  steel  pins  X,  3-16  inch 


FIG.  296. — PUNCH 

SLIDE. 


FIG.  297. — LOWER   LEVER   YOKE. 


in  diameter  and  i^g  inches  long,  to  be  dfiven  into  a  shoulder. 
Six  pins'  V,  3-32  inch  in  diameter  and  15-16  inch  long,  were 
cut  off  and  inserted  in  the  holes  drilled  in  A.  The  collar  W, 
with  the  pins  X,  was  then  slipped  onto  the  stud  D,  resting  on  the 
shoulder  as  shown.  The  stud  was  then  screwed  tightly  into  A, 
the  pins  V  resting  on  the  upper  side  of  W. 

The  lower  lever  yoke  is  shown  in  Fig.  297,  from  which  its 
construction  can  be  understood.  The  slide  levers  are  shown  in 
Fig.  298  and  require  no  description.  The  other  parts  of  the 
press  require  little  explanation ;  a  casting  with  a  bearing  at  each 
end,  being  finished  and  bored  to  admit  a  driving  shaft,  which 
turned  with  an  eccentric  in  the  center,  giving  the  yoke  X  a 
movement  of  13-32  inch. 


2O2 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


The  press  complete,  the  next  thing  to  tackle  was  the  die, 
which  was  an  accurate  piece  of  work  indeed.  The  manner  in 
which  it  was  made  can  be  seen  from  the  engravings  and  under- 
stood from  the  description  of  the  die  shown  in  Fig.  267  of  the 
quadruplicate  piercing  die. 

By  reverting  to  Fig.  294,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  upper 
works  are  fastened  to  a  cast  iron  frame,  which  in  turn  was 
fastened  to  the  top  of  the  bench  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  within 
easy  reach  of  the  operator.  The  lower  part  was  fastened  to  a 


PIG.    298. — SLIDE  LEVER. 

skid  and  the  skid  fastened  to  the  floor.  When  operating  the 
work  a  ferrule  was  placed  over  the  die  by  hand,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  294,  the  yoke  Y  moving  downward  causing  the  levers  H 
to  move  the  slides  B  inward,  thereby  punching  all  the  holes 
at  once.  On  the  return  stroke,  the  yoke  Y  moving  upward,  until 
the  slides  had  traveled  back  half-way,  coming  in  contact  with 
the  lower  stripper  pins  X,  caused  the  stripper  to  move  upward 
and  the  pins  V  to  strip  the  work  T  from  the  die.  The  action 
of  the  press  was  very  fast,  and  the  spring  left  in  the  work  by 
the  punching  was  enough  to  cause  it,  when  the  pins  V  struck  it, 
to  spring  clear  of  the  die, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CURLING,    WIRING    AND    SEAMING. 

Defining  of  the  Terms — Use  of  the  Tools. 

We  will  now  take  up  a  class  of  press  tools  and  fixtures  which 
have  been  adapted  to  accomplish  results  in  the  working  of  sheet 
metal  parts  and  articles,  which  a  few  years  back  were  attained 
only  by  spinning.  This  class  of  tools  have  now  been  improved  to 
such  an  extent  that  they  have  completely  superseded  the  old 
methods.  The  operations  in  which  these  tools  are  used  are  known 
as  curling,  wiring,  and  seaming  operations,  respectively.  Curl- 
ing consists  of  producing  a  curled  edge  around  the  top  of  any 
formed  or  drawn  article  or  part  of  sheet  metal.  Wiring  is  the 
curling  of  the  top  of  such  articles  around  a  wire  hoop,  when  the 
vessel  or  shell  requires  stiffening.  The  tools  used  for  both  curl- 
ing and  wiring  are  almost  of  the  same  construction.  Seaming  is 
the  upsetting  and  joining  of  two  or  more  parts  of  an  article  to- 
gether, or  joining  the  two  edges  of  a  shell,  which  has  been  rolled 
or  formed  from  a  strip,  together  in  such  a  manner  as  to  fasten 
them  permanently. 

The  use  of  dies  for  the  operations  mentioned  above  will  give 
satisfactory  results  in  all  cases,  and  the  results  accomplished  by 
them  are  not  to  be  compared  with  those  attained  by  the  old 
methods,  as  their  work  is  more  uniform  and  the  saving  of  time 
and  labor  great.  In  straight-sided  work,  and  work  but  slightly 
flared,  the  metal  will  be  turned,  when  wiring,  around  the  wire 
and  under  it  quite  perfectly  at  one  stroke  of  the  press.  From 
2.000  to  8,000  pieces  can  be  wired  per  day  of  10  hours,  according 
to  the  size  of  the  work  and  the  skill  of  the  operator.  In  the  fol- 
lowing pages  are  shown  various  types  of  curling,  wiring  and 
seaming  dies  and  fixtures  together  with  the  presses  in  which  they 
are  used,  and  as  the  illustrations  are  very  clear  only  a  slight  de- 
scription of  the  various  types  of  dies  and  fixtures,  the  action  of 
the  presses  and  the  manner  in  which  the  work  is  produced,  will 
be  necessary. 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

Curling    Dies — Fundamental    Principles — Action    of    the    Metal. 

Figs.  299,  304  and  308  show  cross-sectional  views  of  dies 
which  may  be  used  for  curling  the  edges  of  circular-drawn  shells, 
and  as  the  engravings  are  very  clear,  we  will  dispense  with  a  de- 
scription of  their  construction  and  confine  ourselves  to  the  prin- 


FIG.    299. — CURLING  TOOLS. 

ciples  involved ;  the  action  of  the  metal  during  the  process ;  and 
the  manner  in  which  work  of  this  kind  is  produced. 

In  work  of  this  kind  it  is  not  possible  to  see  the  action  of  the 
metal  while  the  die  is  working,  but  by  setting  the  die  in  the  press, 
locating  a  shell,  and  coming  down  with  the  ram  by  hand  until 
the  upper  die  begins  to  form  the  metal  and  then  backing  the 
press,  taking  out  the  shell  and  seeing  how  the  curl  has  com- 


CURLING,   WIRING   AND  SEAMING. 


205 


menced,  and  repeat  two  or  three  times  until  the  ram  has  reached 
the  full  length  of  its  stroke,  one  will  be  able  to  see  the  exact  action 
of  the  dies  and  the  metal.  The  groove  in  the  upper  die  (or  lower 
die  as  the  case  may  require)  must  be  finished  to  a  perfect  half- 
circle  of  the  radius  required,  and  must  be  highly  polished  and 
free  from  cuts  or  scratches.  Figs.  300  to  303  show  how  the 
upper  die  forms  the  edge  of  a  half-round  drawn  shell,  showing 


AV 


FIG.  300. — CURL  STARTED. 


FIG.  301. — HALF  CURLED. 


the  results  accomplished  at  various  stages  of  the  descent  of  the 
die.  As  shown  in  the  first  stage  A,  the  metal  has  commenced  to- 
curl ;  at  the  next  stage  B,  the  metal  has  curled  to  a  half -circle  of 
the  width  of  the  curling  groove  in  the  upper  die.  At  C  the  third 
stage  is  shown,  the  punch  continuing  to  descend,  and  as  the  pres- 
sure is  now  on  top  of  the  half-circular  curled  edge  it  causes  the 
metal  to  curl  further  around  until  the  circle  is  complete,  as  shown 


FIG.  302. — THREE-QUARTER 
CURLED. 


FIG.  303. — FULLY  CURLKD. 


at  D.  As  will  be  understood,  only  one  operation  is  necessary  to 
curl  the  edge  of  a  shell  of  the  type  shown,  as  the  metal  once 
started  around  the  curling  groove  of  the  upper  die  follows  or 
continues  on  the  same  radius  as  long  as  the  pressure  continues ; 
thus  a  shell  may  be  quarter-curled,  half-curled  or  completely 
curled  by  the  same  die,  according  to  the  length  of  stroke  to  which 
the  die  is  set. 


2O6 


DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.    304. — CURLING    TOOLS. 


When  it  is  desired  to  curl  the.  edges  of  a  shell  of  the  shape 
shown  in  Fig.  305  to  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  307  two  dies  are 


Fiist  Operation 
FIG.    305. 

necessary.     The  first  die  is  a  bending  die  and  is  used  to  bend  or 
form  the  edges  to  a  vertical  position  as  shown.     The  second  die 


Cecond  Operation 
FIG.     306. 


Curling  Operation 
FIG.    307. 


used  is  shown  in  Fig.  304  and  the  manner  in  which  the  edge  is 
curled  will  be  understood  from  the  engravings.     As  shown,  the 


CURLING,   WIRING  AND  SEAMING. 


207 


FIG.    308. — CURBING  TOOLS. 

construction  of  the  upper  die  is  such  as  to  insure  the  edge  of  the 
shell  entering  the  curling  groove,  and  the  parallel  part  will  en- 


FIG.    309. — SHELL   AS   DRAWN. 

close  the  wall  of  the  shell  while  the  'edge  is  curling,  so  that  it 
is  impossible  for  it  to  bulge  out,  which  would  be  the  case  were 


TIG.  310. — SHELL  AS  BENT.       FIG.  311. — SHELL  AS  CURLED. 


2O8  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

this  portion  of  the  tool  finished  otherwise:  thus,  the  metal  being- 
held  securely,  and  having  no  place  else  to  go,  must  follow  the 
shape  of  the  curling  curve. 

The  curling  of  the  edges  of  drawn  shells  by  means  of  dies  of 
the  above  type  is  done  in  endless  variety,  the  articles  worked 
upon  ranging  from  shoe  eyelets  to  bath  tubs  of  both  round  and 
irregular  shapes.  The  construction  of  the  tools  depends  upon 
the  shape  of  the  shell,  the  thickness  of  metal  and  the  diameter 
of  curl  required,  but  the  principles  involved  are  the  same  in  all 
of  them. 

The  tools  in  Fig.  308  show  how  a  shell  of  different  shape 
may  be  curled.  The  shell  as  shown  in  Fig.  309  is  produced  in 
a  combination  die  while  the  bending  as  shown  in  Fig.  310  is  ac- 
complished by  a  bending  die.  The  curling  as  shown  in  Fig.  311 
is  done  in  the  die  shown  in  Fig.  308.  This  shell  differs  from. 
-  .the  other  only  in  that  it  has  a  flange  or  flat  part  between  the  curled 
portion  and  the  body  of  the  shell.  In  the  upper  die  a  pad  is  lo- 
cated so  as  to  hold  the  flange  of  the  shell  tightly  while  the  curling 
is  being  done,  the  pressure  being  exerted  by  strong  springs  at 
the  back  of  the  pad.  Were  no  pad  used  in  this  manner,  the  metal, 
when  the  pressure  is  exerted  on  the  edge  of  the  shell,  would 
creep  back  and  buckle. 

Wiring  Dies  for  Shell  Work. 

The  manner  in  which  wiring  dies  are  made  and  used  on  both 
large  and  small  work  will  be  understood  from  Figs.  312  and  313. 
Dies  of  this  type  may  be  used  for  real  wiring  or  false  wiring  on 
round  or  oval  shells  or  cylinders.  The  bottoms  of  the  shells  may 
be  any  shape  as  long  as  they  are  properly  supported  during 
the  operation.  Fig.  312  shows  a  tool  steel  ring  at  A  attached  to 
the  punch  holder.  The  inner  diameter  of  this  ring  must  fit  ac- 
curately the  inner  diameter  of  the  shell  to  be  wired,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent buckling  of  the  walls.  When  a  wire  hoop  is  to  be  inclosed 
by  the  rim  of  the  shell  the  ring  B  must  be  used  in  the  die,  and 
should  be  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  return  to  its  proper 
position  after  the  up  stroke,  as  shown  plainly  in  the  engravings. 
When  in  use,  a  wire  hoop,  which  has  been  rolled  or  formed 
to  fit  the  outer  diameter  of  the  shell,  is  placed  in  position  on  the 
ring  B.  as  shown,  the  shell  being:  located  within  the  die.  The 
press  is  then  stepped  and  the  result  of  the  stroke  is  shown  in 


CURLING,   WIRING  AND  SEAMING. 


209 


FIG.    312.— WIRING   TOOLS,    SHOWING   SHELL   BEFORE)   WIRING. 

Fig-  313,  which  shows  the  wire  C  inclosed  within  the  curled  edge 
of  the  shell. 


The  Shell  as  Wired 
FIG.    313. 

A  Curling  Punch  and  Die  For  Milk  Pans. 

In  Fig.  314  are  shown  a  curling  punch  and  die  and  the  article 
'for  which  it  is  used.  The  illustrations  show  the  construction  of 
both  punch  and  die  plainly.  As  shown,  the  portion  of  the  punch 
which  does  the  curling  is  composed  of  eight  segments,  so  that 


OF 
UNIVERSITY 


210 


DIES,   THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


it  shall  have  a  contracting  action,  which  is  necessary  because  of 
the  flared  shape  of  the  article  to  be  curled.  The  action  is  as  fol- 
lows :  The  article  to  be  curled  is  located  within  the  locating 
seat  of  the  die  and  the  punch  descends  until  the  edge  of  the  ar- 
ticle strikes  the  half  curve  in  the  curling  segments.  The  punch 
continues  to  descend  and  the  metal  follows  around  the  curling, 
curves,  and,  of  course,  as  the  diameter  of  the  portion  of  the 
metal  touched  by  the  punch  decreases,  the  segments  contract, 
the  punch  descending  until  the  edge  of  the  metal  has  curled  to 
within  a  shade  of  the  body  of  the  article.  As  the  punch  rises, 
the  article  remains  in  the  die  and  the  segments  of  the  punch  ex- 
pand so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  next  piece. 

A  Curling  Punch  end  Die  for  Deep  Shells. 

A  curling  punch  and  die  for  curling  deep  shells  or  articles  of 
thin  sheet  metal,  and  the  press  in  which  it  was  used,  is  shown  in 


FIG.    314. — MILK   PAN   AND   CURLING  TOOLS   FOR   SAME. 


FIG.   31 5. — ARRANGEMENT   FOR   CURLING  THE  EDGES  OF  DEEP  SHELLS. 


CURLING,   WIRING  AND  SEAMING.  211 

Fig.  315.  The  punch  is  located  and  fastened  within  the  ram 
while  the  die  is  located  on  a  sliding  table  which  may  be  pulled 
back  and  forth  by  the  operator.  The  horn  or  die  for  locating 
the  work  is  of  a  slight  taper  and  consequently  a  solid  one  piece 
curling  punch  can  be  used,  as  the  decrease  in  diameter  when 
curling  is  so  slight  that  contraction  is  unnecessary.  When  in 
use,  the  table  on  which  the  horn  or  die  is  located  is  pulled  out  so 
as  to  allow  of  the  article  to  be  curled  being  slipped  over  it.  This 
is  clone,  and  the  table  shoved  back  to  place  against  a  stop.  The 
punch  then  descends  and  the  edge  of  the  article  is  curled.  The 
punch  ascends,  the  table  is  pulled  out,  the  work  removed,  another 
located  and  the  operation  repeated.  When  a  press  of  the  type 
shown  in  Fig.  316  with  an  automatically  actuated  die  slide  is  used, 
the  articles  can  be  wired  or  curled  much  faster. 

Wiring  Large  Work. 

In  Fig.  318  are  shown  a  set  of  dies  for  wiring  large  work. 
As  shown,  the  dies  are  located  within  a  press  which  has  an  extra 
long  stroke,  thus  doing  away  with  the  sliding  table  and  allowing 
of  removing  and  locating  the  articles  wired  without  trouble.  As 
will  be  seen,  the  wiring  punch  is  in  segements  so  as  to  contract 
when  wiring  the  edge  of  the  work.  The  die  is  equipped  with  a 
floating  ring  supported  by  a  number  of  springs.  This  floating 
ring  is  where  the  wire  hoop  is  placed  before  the  work  is  located, 
and  it  supports  the  wire  while  the  punch  descends  and  curls  the 
metal  around  and  under  it,  the  stiffness  of  the  metal  being  suffi- 
cient to  overcome  the  tension  of  the  springs  and  force  the  float- 
ing ring  downward  while  the  metal  creeps  under  the  wire,  thus 
enclosing  it  within  the  curl. 

The  dies,  press  and  fixtures  shown  in  Fig.  319  illustrate  how 
large  pans  of  tin  are  wired.  This  press  is  built  specially  for 
wiring,  by  means  of  dies  of  the  construction  shown,  the  top 
edges  of  foot  tubs,  heavy  pails  and  other  large  sheet-metal  ar- 
ticles. The  roller  slide  shown  in  connection  with  this  press  per- 
mits of  removing  the  heaviest  wiring  dies  with  speed  and  ease, 
while  the  locking  device,  also  illustrated,  makes  it  impossible  to 
trip  the  clutch  while  the  die  is  being  returned  to  its  correct  po- 
sition, thus  obviating  the  possibility  of  costly  accidents. 

Fig.  320  shows  another  set  of  wiring  dies  as  set  up  in  the 
press  for  wiring  large  work.  The  construction  of  the  dies  is 
on  the  same  principle  as  those  described  and  shown  in  Fig.  319, 


212  DI£S,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.    316.— WIRING   PRESS    WITH   AUTOMATICALLY 
ACTUATED   DIE  SLIDE. 


CURLING,    WIRING   AXD  SHAMING. 


213 


FIG.    317. — WIRING   PREvSS    WITH    ROLLER   BEARINGS  FOR 
SLIDE,    AND   LOCKING   DEVICE. 


214 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.    318. — WIRING    PRESS   WITH   EXTRA    LONG   STROKE 
FOR    WIRING   LARGE   DEEP   WORK. 


NG     WIRING  AND  SEAMING. 


215 


FIG.    319.— GEARED   DOUBLE   CRANK   PRESS  WITH   ROLLER  TABLE   AND 
DIES  IN  POSITION  FOR  WIRING  LARGE  SHEET-METAL  GOODS. 


2l6 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.    32O, — DOUBLE   CRAXK    PRESS   FOR  WIRING   LARGE 
SHEET-METAL   GOODS. 


CURLING,   WIRING  AND  SEAMING. 


217 


the  punch  contracting  as  the  wiring  is  accomplished.  In  the 
press  shown  the  same  attachments  as  described  in  the  one  shown 
in  Fig.  319  are  used. 

Horizontal   Dial   Press    With   Pick-off   Attachment. 

In  Fig.  321  is  shown  a  press  which  is  something  of  a  curiosity. 
It  is  used,  when  equipped  with  dies  of  the  required  construction, 


FIG.    321. — HORIZONTAL   DIAL   PRESS   WITH   PICK-OFF 
ATTACHMENT. 

Used  for  necking-in,  curling,  rounding,  or  swaging  the  top  edges  of  cans  or  other  sheet- 
metal  shells.  The  operator  puts  the  articles  on  as  the  dial  revolves.  After  the  punch 
has  performed  its  work  the  pieces  are  automatically  picked  off  by  a  Gripping  Finger 
Device.  From  40  to  60  pieces  may  be  done  per  minute,  according  to  shape  and  style 
of  work. 


for  curling,  necking-in,  rounding  or  swaging  the  top  edges  of 
shells  or  cans.  The  horns  on  the  dial  are  made  to  fit  the  shell 
which  is  to  be  worked  upon,  the  operator  putting  the  articles  on 
as  the  dial  revolves.  After  the  punch  has  performed  its  work, 
the  pieces  are  automatically  picked  off  by  a  pair  of  gripping 


2l8  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

fingers  as  shown  in  the  illustration.  With  a  press  of  this  type 
properly  equipped  with  dies,  from  40  to  60  pieces  may  be  finished 
per  minute,  according  to  shape  and  size  of  the  work. 

Horning  or  Seaming  Dies,   Tools  and  Presses. 

A  press  specially  equipped  with  an  automatic  fixture  for 
double  horning  or  seaming  is  shown  in  Fig.  326.  By  means  of 
this  machine  equipped  as  shown,  the  two  corner  seams  on  large 
square  cans  having  round  corners  with  seam  in  the  center  may  be 
closed  at  one  blow.  Tins  with  sharp  square  corners  require  a 
coaxing  operation  on  single  horn  to  start  the  seam  over  be- 
fore setting  down  on  double  horn  press.  The  "horn"  which'  is 
movable  in  ways,  has  two  working  surfaces ;  the  upper  one  is 
acted  on  by  the  "force"  bolted  to  the  press  slide,  while  the  lower 
one  in  descending  with  the  slide  acts  against  a  stationary  "force" 
fastened  to  the  bed.  It  will  be  understood  that  the  two  body- 
halves  loosely  hooked  together  are  pushed  over  the  sliding  horn, 
which,  by  means  of  the  adjustable  slide  gages  shown,  secures  ac- 
curate size  and  position.  By  the  use  of  this  machine  the  capacity 
of  the  operator  is  nearly  doubled,  as  compared  with  what  can  be 
done  on  an  ordinary  horn  press.  The  press  as  shown  in  the 
illustration,  is  arranged  for  seaming  five-gallon  petroleum  cans. 

Duplex   Folding   and   Seaming   for   Locked   Scams. 

In  Fig.  327  are  shown  the  successive  stages  of  a  lock  seam, 
and  a  press  equipped  with  the  tools  for  accomplishing  the  results 
shown.  In  this  cut  the  manner  in  which  both  an  inside  seam  and 
an  outside  seam  are  finished  is  shown,  two  blows  being  neces- 
sary for  each.  The  first  operation  is  the  forming  of  the  hooks, 
and  the  second  the  smashing  down  and  locking  together.  There 
is  a  large  variety  of  work  which  requires  finishing  with  locked 
seams  of  this  kind. 

Double  Seaming  of  Flat,  Round,  Deep  Bottoms. 

For  double  seaming  of  bottoms,  tops,  and  parts  of  round 
bodies  together,  the  work  is  accomplished  by  special  machinery 
and  dies  are  dispensed  with.  A  machine  for  this  work  is  shown 
in  Fig.  322  and  diagrams  of  the  work  done  on  it  in  Figs.  323  to 
375.  These  machines  are  used  extensively  for  double  seaming 


CURLING,    WIRING   AND  SEAMING. 


219 


"flat  bottoms"   onto  tea   kettles,   coffee   pots,   pails   and   similar 
goods  in  the  tin  and  enameled  ironware  lines. 

The  lower  spindle,  carrying  the  "inside  chuck  or  roller,"  is 
mounted  on  a  sliding  plate,  which  is  drawn  forward  for  putting 


FIG.  325. — DIAGRAMS   OF 
SEAMED    PARTS. 


FIG.    322. — DOUBLE   SEAMING 
MACHINE. 


on  and  taking  off  the  articles.  In  the  case  of  flaring  pails,  dish 
pans,  and  other  articles  which  are  smaller  at  the  bottom  than  at 
the  top,  the  -double-seaming  is  done  against  a  solid  plate  of  the 
size  of  the  bottom  mounted  on  the  sliding  spindle.  For  buckets, 
cups,  and  other  straight  sided  articles,  collapsible  chucks  are 
used.  These  chucks  are  so  made  that  they  spread  so  as  to  fill 


;22O 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


326. — DOUBLE   HORN   PRESS   FOR   CLOSING  THE  TWO   CORNER 
SEAMS   ON  LARGE  SQUARE   CANS  AT  A  SINGLE   BLOW. 


CURLING,   WIRING  AND  SEAMING. 


22  L 


-• 


FIG.    327. — DUPLEX   FOLDING  AND  SEAMING   PRESS,    FOR   FORMING^ 
AND  CLOSJNG  LOCKEB  SIDE  SEAMS. 


222  DIES,   THEIR   CONSTRUCTION    AND   USE. 

along  the  edge  of  the  bottom,  when  the  article  is  carried  up 
against  the  upper  chuck,  and  fold  together  after  the  work  is 
done,  so  as  to  permit  the  rapid  and  easy  removal  of  the  seame-l 
article. 

A  Double  Seaming  Machine  With  Blank  Centering  Device  and 
Collapsible  Chuck. 

In  Fig.  328  is  shown  a  double  seaming  machine  which  is 
equipped  with  a  blank  centering  device  and  a  collapsible  chuck. 
The  chuck  is  shown  in  Fig.  330,  a  diagram  of  the  operation  ac- 
complished in  Fig.  329,  and  the  work  before  and  after  finishing 
at  the  lower  right. 

In  this  machine  the  treadle  is  made  with  a  toggle  joint  to  take 
the  thrust  while  seaming.  The  separate  view  of  the  chuck  shows 
same  drawn  forward  and  in  its  extended  position.  In  order  to 
collapse  it  for  the  purpose  of  putting  on  the  kettle  body  to  be 
seamed,  it  is  only  necessary  to  disengage  the  hinge  hook  shown  at 
the  bottom  of  spindle  bearing,  whereupon  the  chuck  draws  itself 
together  automatically.  It  is  expanded  to  fill  against  the  bottom 
edge  of  the  kettle  by  raising  the  spindle  until  the  hook  snaps  in, 
after  which  the  flat  bottom  is  laid  on  and  the  slide  pushed  back 
into  working  position. 

Double  Seaming  Oval,  Oblong,  Square  Shapes,  Etc. 

Double  seaming  machines  for  seaming  articles  of  irregular- 
shapes  differ  from 'others  shown  herein, in  that  they  are  constructed 
so  as  to  allow  the  seaming  rolls  to  automatically  follow  the  shape 
of  the  can.  As  they  do  the  seaming  at  the  top  of  the  can,  they 
are  preferable  for  filled  cans.  In  action,  the  pressure  on  the  foot 
treadle,  which  raises  the  pressure  plate  so  as  to  clamp  the  can  and 
the  lid  against  the  chuck,  also  throws  in  a  friction  clutch  which 
starts  the  work.  The  double-seaming  rolls,  controlled  by  a  cam 
made  in  a  piece  with  the  chuck  and  finished  to  the  shape  of  the 
can,  follow  the  shape  of  the  can  automatically,  while  the  neces- 
sary pressure  to  form  and  finish  the  seam  is  imparted  by  the 
handles.  These  pressure  handles  are  so  arranged  as  to  relieve 
the  hand  of  the  operator  from  all  vibrations  due  to  the  irregular 
shape  of  the  cans.  This  machine  can  be  readily  adjusted  for 
different  heights  of  work  by  means  of  a  hand-wheel,  and  for 
different  shapes  by  exchanging  the  cam  chuck,  which  can  be  clone 
in  a  few  minutes. 


CURLING,   WIRING  AND  SEAMING. 


223 


FIG.  329. — DIAGRAM   OF 
OPERATION. 


FIG.     328.— DOUBLE     SEAMING     MACHINE     EQUIPPED     WITH     BLANK 
CENTERING     DEVICE     AND     COLLAPSIBLE     CHUCK. 


224  DIES,   THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND   USE. 

Rolling  Scams  on  Square  Cans. 

The  rolling  of  seams  on  square  cans  is  accomplished  in  the 
following  manner :  The  can  is  firmly  held  between  two  disks 
made  exactly  to  fit  the  heads  of  the  can,  the  upper  disk  being 
mounted  on  a  vertical  shaft  fastened  rigidly  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  main  frame  and  the  lower  disk  to  a  shaft  passing  through  the 
lower  part  of  the  frame,  and  prevented  from  turning  by  an 
arm  running  in  guides,  but  capable  of  vertical  motion  imparted 
to  it  by  a  cam  on  the  treadle  shaft. 

The  steel  rolls  which  operate  on  the  seams  at  the  top  and 
bottom  are  carried  by  a  frame  which  rotates  upon  the  upper  and 
lower  stationary  shafts  and  around  the  can.  These  rolls  are 
mounted  on  levers  pivoted  in  the  rotating  frame,  the  opposite  ends 
of  the  levers  being  furnished  with  rolls  bearing  against  star- 


FIG.  331. — HORN   FRAME   WITH   SUNKEN   BOLSTER   AND   SLIDE 
FRAME    COMBINED. 

shaped  stationary  cams  on  the  two  vertical  shafts,  which  give  the 
in  and  out  motion  required  in  passing  around  the  corners  of  the 
cams.  The  rotating  frame  carries  two  sets  of  these  rollers,  which 
press  on  opposite  sides  of  the  cam  at  both  the  top  and  bottom, 
thus  equalizing  the  side  pressure  and  rolling  the  seams  more 
perfectly  than  would  be  possible  by  the  use  of  a  single  set  of  rolls, 
each  seam  being  rolled  twice  in  each  revolution. 

There  are  additional  cams  provided,  which,  as  the  machine 
comes  to  a  rest,  move  the  roll  outward  from  the  surface  of  the 
cam,  so  the  latter  may  be  removed  from  the  machine.  Attached 
to  the  bottom  of  the  rotating  frame  is  a  bevel  gear  meshing  with 


CURLING,   WIRING  AND  SEAMING. 


225 


a  pinion  on  the  pulley  shaft.     The  pulley  is  provided   with  a 
friction  clutch  controlled  by  the  treadle. 

A  can  being  placed  upon  the  lower  disk  and  the  foot  pressed 
upon  the  treadle,  the  can  is  raised  and  clamped  firmly  between  the 
upper  and  lower  disks.  The  clutch  is  now  thrown  in,  and  the 
roller  frame  makes  one  revolution  around  the  can,  the  latter  re- 
maining stationary.  After  completing  one  revolution  the  clutch 
is  automatically  released,  the  rolls  are  thrown  outward,  and  the 


FIG.  332. — SUNKEN  BOLSTER  WITH  SLLTE   PLATE  FOR 
WIRING  DIES. 

lower  disk  drops,  leaving  the  can  free  to  be  removed.  The 
capacity  of  these  machines  is  from  9,000  to  12,000  cans  in  10 
hours,  and  the  saving  of  solder  by  the  use  of  each  machine 
amounts  to  from  $15  to  $18  per  day. 

Fig.  331  shows  a  horn  frame  with  sunken  bolster  and  slide 
frame  combined  for  horning  and  wiring,  while  Fig.  332  shows  a 
sunken  bolster  with  slide  frame  for  wiring  and  curling  dies  ex- 
clusively. 


\ 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DRAWING  PROCESSES  FOR  SHEET  METAL  SHELLS. 

•Scarcity  of  Mechanics  Who  Understand  Draining  Processes. 

It  is  safe  to  make  the  assertion  that  in  no  line  of  sheet  metal 
work  have  dies  and  press  fixtures  been  adopted  more  extensively 
for  the  production  of  articles  for  universal  use  than  in  the  produc- 
tion of  drawn  and  formed  shells,  and  notwithstanding  the  univer- 
sal use  to  which  such  articles  have  been  put,  the  means,  methods 
and  processes  for  their  production  are  not  understood  as  they 
should  be.  Although  there  are  any  number  of  establishments 
which  make  a  specialty  of  drawn  sheet  metal  work,  there  is  al- 
ways great  difficulty  experienced  in  getting  mechanics  who  un- 
derstand thoroughly  how  to  design  and  construct  the  tools  which 
will  produce  such  parts  in  the  most  approved  manner.  Now 
while  there  is  no  difficulty  in  finding  men  who  can  construct  dies 
for  almost  any  other  line  of  sheet  metal  work,  it  is  unusual  to  find 
an  all-around  toolmaker  who  understands  the  construction  of 
drawing  dies.  In  fact  we  may  say  that  we  have  worked  with 
some  of  the  best  toolmakers  in  the  country  who  were  capable  of 
making  a  tool  for  almost  every  known  purpose,  but  when  they 
were  given  a  sample  of  drawn  work  for  which  to  make  a  set  of 
dies,  they  would  flounder  about  and  show  by  their  actions  that 
they  had  not  the  slightest  conception  of  the  principles  and  rules  by 
which  they  might  construct  the  proper  tools  successfully. 

Uncertainty  as  to  the  Best  Means  to  Adopt. 

In  view  of  the  uncertainty  among  mechanics  as  to  the  best  and 
most  approved  means  to  adopt  for  the  production  of  drawn  sheet 
metal  work,  we  will  describe  and  illustrate  in  this  chapter  the  dif- 
ferent processes  for  the  production  of  such  articles,  including 
in  the  descriptions  all  the  kinks,  fundamental  principles,  etc., 
which  we  have  found  to  be  the  best  for  each  type  indicated.  In 
arranging  this  chapter  in  this  manner,  i.  e.,  from  the  view  point 
of  a  practical  man,  we  are  convinced  that  it  will  be  found  the  best, 
for  this  reason.  Now  while  the  student  and  mechanical  expert 
may  desire  to  know  and  understand  principles  of  sheet  metal 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  22/ 

drawing  processes  from  a  technical  point  of  view  and  may  charge 
the  author  with  having  ignored  principles  and  theories,  which, 
by  such  men,  are  considered  absolutely  necessary  to  an  intelligent 
understanding  of  the  subject;  the  author,  as  a  practical  man,  is 
inclined  to  think  otherwise,  and  for  that  reason  we  give  in  the 
following  pages  a  complete  description  of  how  to  construct  draw- 
ing dies  for  all  the  different  varieties  of  drawn,  formed  and  em- 
bossed sheet  metal  parts.  For  some  classes  of  work  two  or 
three  different  types  of  dies  are  shown  and  described,  for  the 
reason  that  conditions,  tool  equipment  and  other  circumstances 
often  prevent  the  adoption  of  tools  of  one  construction,  but  make 
that  of  another  available.  What  we  recommend  is  this :  When 
the  toolmaker  has  a  set  of  drawing  tools  to  construct  let  him 
adopt  the  dies  described  here  for  the  production  of  a*  part  which 
is  similar  to  that  which  he  is  to  produce.  Follow  the  description 
of  the  tools  carefully,  memorize  the  little  kinks  and  ways  of  ac- 
complishing the  results,  and  lastly  let  him  convince  himself  that 
perfect  and  accurate  work  on  all  parts  is  necessary.  When  the 
mechanic  has  done  this,  and  has  acquainted  himself  with  the 
fundamental  principles,  which  are  given  here  in  a  simple  and 
concise  manner,  he  will  experience  no  difficulty  in  attaining  the 
•desired  results. 

Types  of  Dies  in  General  Use  for  Producing  Drawn  Shells. 

For  the  production  of  drawn  and  formed  shells  from  sheet 
metal,  the  dies  in  general  use  consist  of  four  distinct  types.  The 
first  is  the  most  primitive  and  consists  of  punching  out  the  blank 
to  the  desired  shape  and  size  in  a  plain  blanking  die,  and  then 
pushing  it  through  a  drawing  die  or  dies,  according  to  the  de- 
sired length  of  the  shell.  This  manner  of  producing  the  shells 
is  the  cheapest  where  only  a  small  quantity  is  required.  The 
second  method  is  by  the  use  of  compound  dies  and  a  double  act- 
ing press,  in  which  the  blanking  punch  descends  and  punches  out 
the  blank  and  then  remains  stationary  while  the  shell  is  being 
drawn  and  formed  by  the  internal  drawing  punch.  The  third 
method  is  by  means  of  a  punch  and  die  of  the  combination  type, 
in  which  the  punching  and  drawing  dies  are  combined  and  are 
used  in  a  single-acting  press.  This  method  is  the  most  popular 
and  generally  used  one,  as  well  as  the  most  practical  for  the  pro- 
duction of  plain  or  fancy  formed  and  drawn  shells  which  are  not 
required  to  exceed  one  inch  in  height.  The  design  and  method 


228 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


of  ^constructing  dies  of  the  combination  type  differ  according  to 
conditions,  but  the  fundamental  principles  involved  are  substan- 
tially the  same  in  all  of  them  and  may  be  adopted  for  the  produc- 
tion of  round  shells  of  any  shape  which  it  is  possible  to  produce 
in  one  operation  in  a  single  acting  press.  The  fourth  and  last  type 
of  dies  used  for  shell  work  are  known  as  "triple-acting  drawing 
dies/'  and  are  used  to  produce  shells  which  are  required  to  be 
blanked,  drawn  and  embossed,  lettered  or  paneled  in  one  opera- 
tion. They  are  used  in  triple  acting  presses. 

Combination   Dies — Their    Use. 

Combination   dies   are   used   in    single-acting   foot   or   power 
presses.     They  cut  a  blank,  and  at  the  same  time  turn  down  the 


Knock-Out 


FIG.  333. — A   COMBINATION   DIE. 


edge  and  form  the  article  into  shape.  In  most  cases  the  articles 
thus  produced  are  of  shallow  shapes,  their  edges  frequently  not 
over  3-16  inch  deep,  as,  for  instance,  can  tops  and  bottoms,  pail, 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  229 

bucket  and  cup  bottoms,  etc.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  dies 
of  this  class  are  used  for  making  deeper  articles,  such  as  boxes 
and  covers  for  blacking,  lard,  salve  and  other  goods  up  to  y± 
inch  deep,  or  for  cutting  and  drawing  burner  and  gas  fixture 
parts,  toys,  etc.,  up  to  I  inch  in  depth.  Suggestions  concerning  a 
large  variety  of  shapes  and  styles  of  work  such  as  can  be  done  in 
combination  dies  will  be  found  on  the  following  pages.  Most 
combination  .dies  are  so  arranged  that  the  finished  article  is  auto- 
matically pushed  out  of  the  dies  by  the  action  of  springs.  With. 
the  press  set  on  an  incline,  the  finished  work  will  therefore  slide 
back  by  gravity,  effecting  a  considerable  saving  in  labor  and 
greatly  increasing  the  speed  of  production.  An  expert  operator, 
with  a  medium  size  combination  die  in  a  power  press,  will  pro- 
duce from  15,000  to  17,000  pieces  per  day  of  10  hours. 

Spring  Pressure  Attachment  for  Combination  Dies. 

Combination  dies  are  now  mostly  used  in  connection  with  a 
spring  pressure  attachment,  which  is  fastened  to  the  bolster 
plate,  projecting  downward  through  the  bed  of  the  press.  The 
rubber  spring  carries  a  plate  which,  through  pins  in  the  die,  holds 
up  the  pressure  or  blank  holder  ring  and  keeps  the  metal  from 
wrinkling  or  crimping  during  the  drawing  operation  and  also 
acts  as  a  "knock-out"  for  the  finished  work. 

Double-Acting  Cutting  and  Drawing  Dies — Their  Use. 

These  dies  are  used  in  double-action  presses.  They  cut  a 
blank  and  at  the  same  stroke  of  the  press  draw  it  into  shape. 
The  kind  and  thickness  of  the  metal  used  determine  whether  one 
or  several  operations  are  required  to  obtain  the  desired  depth 
and  shape.  The  nature  of  the  shaping  process  which  is  known  as 
"drawing"  will  be  understood  from  the  annexed  sectional  views 
of  .cutting  and  drawing  dies.  These  illustrations  show  two  es- 
sentially different  kinds  of  drawing  dies,  viz.,  Fig.  334,  a  "push 
through  die,"  and  Fig.  335,  a  "solid  bottom  die." 

The  lower  die  A  is  fastened  to  the  bed  of  the  press,  while  the 
combined  cutting  punch  and  blank-holder  B  is  worked  by  the 
outer  slide,  and  moves  slightly  in  advance  of  the  drawing  punch 
C,  which  is  actuated  by  the  inner  slide.  The  outer  slide  in 
double-acting  presses  is  so  arranged  that,  after  making  its  stroke, 
it  stops  during  about  one-quarter  of  the  revolution  of  the  crank 
shaft.  The  blank  having  been  cut  out  from  the  sheet  by  the 


230 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


cutting  edges  of  A  and  B,  drops  into  the  lower  die,  and  is  there 
held  between  the  annular  pressure  surfaces  O  and  P  during  the 
down  "dwell"  of  the  outer  slide.  While  the  blank  is  thus  held 
under  pressure,  which  can  be  regulated  to  suit  the  special  re- 
quirements of  each  case,  the  drawing  punch  C  continues  its 


FIG.    334. — DIE  FOR  DOUBLE-ACTION   PRESS. 

downward  movement,  thus  drawing  the  metal  from  between  the 
pressure  surfaces  into  the  shape  required.  In  this  manner  the 
metal  is  prevented  from  wrinkling. 

For  straight-sided,  cylindrical,  prismatic  articles  which  con- 
form to  the  shape  of  the  punch  without  requiring  a  counterpart 


A  "Solid  Bottom' 
Cutting  and 
Drawing  Die 


.    335. — DIE  FOR  DOUBLE -ACTION  PRESS. 


in  the  bottom  of  the  power  die,  tools  similar  to  those  shown  in 
Fig.  334  are  used.  They  admit  of  pushing  the  finished  article 
right  through  the  die,  it  being  "stripped"  from  the  punch  at  the 
commencement  of  its  up  stroke  by  the  action  of  the  "stripping 
edge"  M.  Where  a  counter  pressure  in  the  lower  die  is  required, 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


231 


dies  of  the  kind  shown  in  Fig".  335  are  used.  These  have  in  addi- 
tion to  the  lower  die,  blank  holder  and  drawing  punch,  what  is 
known  as  a  "push-out  plate''  D.  This  plate  rises  at  the  same 
time  as  the  blank-holder  B,  thus  lifting  the  finished  article  from 
out  of  the  lower  die. 

Plain  Drawing  Dies,  and  Redrawing  Dies. 

Drawing  dies  of  the  type  shown  in  Fig.  336  differ  from  the 
tools  shown  in  Fig.  335  in  this,  that  they  draw  the  article  to  be 
produced  in  them  from  blanks  previously  cut,  instead  of  being 
provided  with  cutting  edges,  which  punch  the  blank  at  the  same 
stroke.  They  may  be  made  of  any  style  and  size,  and  draw  the 


Drawing  Punch 


A  Wash-Basin  Drawing  Die 
FIG.  336. 


Re-Drawing  Die  with  Inside  Blank  Holder 
FIG.   337. 


article  at  one  or  more  operations,  according  to  the  shape  and 
depth  to  be  obtained.  In  work  of  considerable  taper,  such  as  milk 
pans  for  instance,  two  or  more  blanks  are  usually  drawn  at  the 
same  stroke  of  the  press. 

Drawing  Dies   With  Inside  Blank-Holders. 

Drawing  dies  with  inside  blank-holders,  as  shown  in  Fig.  337, 
are  used  for  redrawing  shells  that  have  been  first  drawn  in  dies 
having  outside  blank-holders,  similar  to  that  shown  in  Fig. 


232 


DIES.    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


334.  The  inside  blank-holders  hold  the  partly  finished  article 
at  its  lower  beveled  edge  O,  while  the  punch  draws  it  into  a 
deeper  shape  of  less  diameter.  These  drawing  and  redrawing 
dies  are  mostly  made  of  a  special  grade  of  cast  iron  treated  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  give  a  very  dense  and  uniform  texture  to 
the  metal  at  the  working  surfaces.  Sometimes,  however,  steel 
rings  are  set  into  the  dies,  and  the  blank-holders  made  of  steel 
casting,  which  adds  considerably  to  the  durability  of  the  tools. 
For  articles  which  have  to  be  very  accurate  in  diameter  a  hard 
steel  "sizing"  punch  and  die  are  sometimes  used  after  the  last 
redrawing  operation. 

Triple-Action  Drawing  Dies. 

Triple-action  drawing  dies  are  used  in  triple-action  presses. 
They  are  frequently  used  instead  of  the  solid  bottom  double-action 
dies  shown  in  Fig.  335.  Like  these,  they  cut,  draw  and  stamp 
at  one  operation,  but  they  deliver  the  finished  article  below  the 
dies,  instead  of  pushing  it  up,  enabling  the  operator  to  feed  con- 


A  Triple-Acting  Drawing  Die 

FIG.  338. — DIE  FOR  TRIPLE-ACTION  PRESS. 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


233 


tinuously,  instead  of  waiting  for  each  piece  to  come  up  before 
the  next  one  can  be  cut.  Their  construction  will  be  understood 
from  the  sectional  view  in  Fig.  338,  in  which  A,  set  on  raised 
bolster  E,  represents  the  cutting  and  drawing  die,  B  the  cutting 
punch  and  blank-holder,  C  the  drawing  and  embossing  punch,  and 
D  the  embossing  die,  which  corresponds  in  its  action  to  the  solid 
bottom  in  double-action  dies.  After  the  article  is  cut  and  drawn 


Double  and  Single  Acting  Die 
Operations  in  Drawing  Tubes 

FIG.  339. 


Operations  in  the  Production 

of  a  Deep  Shell,  in  Dies  with 

inside  Blank  and  Holders 

FIG.  340. 


by  the  action  of  A,  B,  and  C,  as  explained  before,  the  punch  C 
continues  to  descend  and  carries  the  drawn  article  down  until  its 
lower  surface  meets  the  embossing  die  D  mounted  on  plunger  F, 
working  in  sleeve  G,  on  its  up  stroke,  where  it  receives  the  re- 
quired impression  of  beads,  fancy  designs,  or  lettering,  etc.  On 
the  up  stroke  of  the  punch  the  finished  article  is  stripped  from 


234 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


it  at  the  edge  M,  and  the  press  being  set  on  ,?.n  incline,  the  work 
slides  back  by  gravity  beneath  the  raised  bolster  E,  into  a  box 
placed  behind  the  press.  In  this  manner,  embossed  drawn  articles 
can  be  produced  as  rapidly  as  ordinary  plain  covers  in  push 
through  dies. 

The  Making  of  a  Combination  Die,  for  Blanking  and  Drawing  a 
Shell  in  a  Single-Action  Press. 

In  the  following  we  show  and  describe  one  type  of  combina- 


Cross  Sectional 
Views  of  Puuch  and 

Die  for  Blanking 
Drawing  and  Forming 

the  Shell,Fig.341. 


FIG.  343. — COMBINATION   DIE. 

tion  die,  and  the  way  to  construct  it,  and  further  on  in  the  chap- 
ter other  types  and  methods. 

In  Fig.  343  is  shown  a  cross-sectional  view  of  a  combination 
punch  and  die,  while  the  shell  produced  in  it  is  shown  in  Figs.  341 
and  342  respectively.  When  constructing  dies  of  this  class  the 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  235 

first  requisite  is  to  decide  upon  the  shape  and  size  to  which  the 
shell  is  required  to  be  finished  and  the  thickness  and  texture  of 
the  metal  to  be  used.  This  being  settled  the  next  thing  is  a 
pair  of  templets,  and  in  the  working  out  and  finishing  of  these 
templets  to  the  desired  degree  of  accuracy,  depends  the  quality  of 
the  work  produced  when  the  punch  and  die  are  finished  and 
operated.  These  templets,  from  which  this  particular  punch  and 
die  were  constructed,  are  shown  in  Fig.  344,  one  for  the  drawing* 
die  and  the  other  for  the  drawing  punch,  the  difference  between 
the  two  being  exactly  one  thickness  of  metal  at  all  points.  With 
the  templets  finished  we  are  now  ready  for  work. 

A  piece  of  tool  steel,  annealed,  and  long  enough  to  get  both 
the  drawing  punch  and  die  out  of  it,  is  chucked  and  the  outside 
of  the  projecting  portion  turned  to  the  size  of  the  largest  diameter 
of  the  templet  I  shown  in  Fig.  344,  and  the  end  finished  or  faced. 
This  end  is  then  worked  down  to  the  exact  shape  of  the  templet, 
first,  by  using  the  compound  rest,  and  then  finished  with  hand 
tools,  getting  all  curves  symmetrical,  and  the  surfaces  as  smooth 
as  possible,  by  lapping  with  a  stick,  oil  and  emery.  The  die  is 
then  cut  off,  leaving  it  the  height  shown.  The  punch  E  is  then 
worked  out  and  finished  to  the  shape  and  size  of  the  other  templet, 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  die,  and  cut  off  with  a  stiff  parting 
tool.  The  tapped  holes  in  both  die  and  punch  are  then  let  in,  as 
shown,  for  the  knockout  stud,  and  the  spring  barrel  stud  H,  re- 
spectively. 

The  bolster  is  the  next  thing  to  finish.  This,  for  a  die  of  this 
construction,  should  be  of  cast  iron,  cast  good  and  solid.  After 
a  cut  has  been  taken  of  the  top  and  back  to  take  out  strain,  a 
finishing  cut  should  be  taken  off  the  bottom  and  also  off  both  ends, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  343.  It  should  be  then  strapped  on  the  face- 
plate of  the  lathe  and  the  inside  bored  out  as  shown,  leaving 
three  shoulders  or  seats.  That  is,  at  B  B  for  the.  blanking  die 
(which  is  not  worked  out  and  finished  until  the  correct  size  and 
shape  of  blank  is  found)  at  C  C  for  the  blank-holder  ring  O,  and 
the  last  or  bottom  one  for  the  locating  central  of  the  drawing- 
punch  E,  as  shown.  The  bolster  is  then  removed  from  the 
lathe  and  six  equally-spaced  holes  are  drilled  around  the  inside 
for  the  tension  or  blank-holder  pins  Q,  as  shown  in  the  sectional 
view.  The  drawing  punch  E  is  then  located  and  fastened  within 
the  bolster  in  the  position  shown,  by  means  of  the  spring  barrel 
stud  G,  which  shoulders  against  the  bottom  of  the  bolster.  The 


236  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

spring  barrel  is  of  hard  spring  rubber  about  six  inches  long  and 
3*/2  inches  thick,  with  a  clearance  hole  through  the  center  to  allow 
of  slipping  through  the  stud  H,  as  shown.  Two  cast  iron  washers 
and  two  jam  nuts  complete  the  arrangement,  the  washer  R  being 
faced  on  the  side  which  supports  the  blank  holder  ring  pins  Q, 
and  both  sides  of  the  jam  nuts  T  chamfered. 

The  blank  holder  ring  O  is  then  machined  as  follows:     A 


Plan  Views  of  Punch 
and  Die  Respectively 


FIG.  344. 

piece  of  tool  steel  about  ^  inch  thick,  large  enough  to  leave 
considerable  surplus  stock  around  the  outside  after  finishing  the 
inside,  is  first  chucked  and  one  side  faced,  and  a  hole  bored 
through  the  center  at  P,  so  as  to  fit  nicely  around  the  forming 
punch.  It  is  then  placed  on  a  mandrel  and  both  sides  faced, 
leaving  it  the  thickness  shown  ;  the  outside  diameter  is  left  un- 
finished until  the  blanking  die  has  been  hardened  and  ground. 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


A  piece  of  round  annealed  tool  steel,  in  size  sufficient  to  form 
the  blanking  punch,  is  then  chucked  and  a  hole  bored  completely 
through  it  for  the  knockout  stud  M,  as  shown.  It  is  then  worked 
out  to  admit  the  drawing  die  I,  as  shown,  finishing  the  inside  as 
smooth  as  possible.  The  punch  is  then  driven  onto  a  man- 


FIG.  345. — SAMPLES   OF   COMBINATION   DIB   WORK. 


238  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

drel  and  the  stem  turned  and  both  ends  of  the  punch  faced. 
A  slot  is  then  milled  into  the  stem  to  accommodate  the  pin  N  of 
the  knockout  stud.  Now,  to  find  the  blank,  the  punch  and  die, 
which  are  complete  except  for  the  blanking  or  cutting  portions, 
are  set  up  in  the  press  and  a  number  of  trial  draws  made  from 
templets  until  the  exact  size  and  shape  required  to  form  the  shell 
as  desired  is  found.  The  various  parts  are  now  removed,  and 
the  blanking  die  X  got  out.  For  this  a  steel  forging  is  generally 
used.,  and  it  is  first  chucked  and  the  back  faced  and  the  outside 
turned  to  within  3-64  of  the  finish  diameter,  or  the  seat  for  it  in 
the  bolster.  It  is  then  reversed  on  the  chuck  and  the  face  fin- 
ished to  the  shape  shown,  tapering  it  away  so  as  to  leave  about 
5-32  inch  of  surface  at  the  cutting  edge.  The  inside  is  then 
bored  out  to  within  3-64  of  the  size  of  the  templet,  and  the  face 
polished  with  a  stick,  oil  and  emery.  The  blanking  die  is  now 
hardened  and  slightly  warmed,  and  then  set  up  in  the  grinder  and 
ground  on  the  outside  to  fit  snugly  within  the  bolster  and  on  the 
inside  to  the  exact  Size  of  the  templet,  giving  it  about  one  de- 
gree of  clearance.  The  die  is  then  drawn  on  a  hot  plate  to  the 
temper  desired,  which  in  this  case — as  the  stock  was  a  soft 
brass — was  a  dark  straw.  Four  setscrews  U  are  then  let  in  around 
the  outside  diameter  of  the  bolster — spacing  them  equally — and 
notches  ground  in  the  die  to  correspond  with  them,  and  the  die 
fastened  and  located  within  the  bolster  as  shown. 

The  blank-holder  ring  is  now  finished  on  the  outside  to  fit 
within  the  die,  hardened,  drawn  to  a  light  straw  temper,  ground 
on  both  sides,  and  located  within  the  die  on  the  six  tension  pins 
Q.  These  pins  should  be  of  stiff  drill  rod  and  finished  so  that  all 
of  them  will  be  exactly  the  same  height. 

The  outside  of  the  punch  is  now  turned  to  within  1-32  inch 
of  the  finish  size,  hardened,  and  drawn  so  that  the  blanking  por- 
tion W  will  be  a  dark  blue  and  the  inside  or  drawing  -por- 
tion a  light  straw.  The  punch  is  then  ground  to  fit  the  die,  by 
driving  it  on  a  mandrel,  finishing  it  so  as  to  fit  within  the  die 
without  play.  The  stop-pin  Y  and  the  four  stripper  pins  Z  are 
then  let  in  at  the  positions  shown,  in  the  plan  view  of  the  die, 
Fig.  344,  the  stop-pin  being  so  placed  as  to  leave  a  trifle  over  a 
thickness  of  metal  between  the  punchings,  and  the  four  stripper 
pins  so  as  to  project  to  the  edge  of  the  cutting  die,  and  in  height 
sufficient  to  allow  of  the  stock  passing  freely  beneath  them.  The 
punch  and  die  are  now  complete  and  ready  for  work. 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


239 


The  tools  are  set  up  in  the  press  in  the  relative  positions 
shown  in  the  sectional  view,  Fig.  343,  adjusting  the  stroke  of  the 
press  so  that  when  the  punch  has  descended  to  its  limit  of  stroke, 
the  drawing  die  will  bottom  within  the  blanking  punch.  The  jam 
nuts  of  the  barrel  stud  are  adjusted  so  that  the  blank  when 
punched,  will  be  held  with  sufficient  tension  between  the  faces  of 
the  blank-holder  ring  O  and  the  punch  to  prevent  the  stock  from 
crimping  or  wrinkling  as  it  is  being  drawn  and  formed.  The  ac- 
tion of  this  punch  and  die  when  in  operation  can  be  understood 
from  the  sectional  views.  The  result  is  shown  in  Figs.  341  and 
342  respectively. 

Simple  or  Push  Through  Drawing  Dies. 
As  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  when  describing  the  combina- 
tion blanking  and  drawing  die,  it  is  possible  to  produce  plain 
drawn  shells  not  exceeding  one  inch  in  height  in  two  operations 
by  the  use  of  simple  dies.  This  is  always  preferable  when  only  a 
small  quantity  is  required.  The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Fig. 
346  is  of  this  class,  and  was  used  for  drawing  the  shell  shown  in 
Fig.  347.  To  operate  this  punch  and  die  it  is  necessary  to  have  a 


FIG.  347.— THE 
FIRST  DRAM'. 


FIG.  348.  — 
LAST  REDRA 


A  A 

FIG.  346. — PUvSH  THROUGH 
DRAWIXG   DIE. 


240  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

press  with  at  least  an  inch  and  a  half  of  stroke,  and  one  that  will 
take  in  at  least  seven  inches  between  bolster  and  ram.  As  the 
majority  of  power  presses  of  any  strength  and  size  will  take 
this,  the  punch  and  die  shown  is  the  best  for  the  work  men- 
tioned, the  cutting  out  of  the  blank,  of  course,  being  done  in  a 
separate  operation  by  means  of  a  plain  blanking  die.  In  the  die 
shown  in  Fig.  346  the  principle  of  holding  the  blank  described  for 
the  other  while  it  is  being  drawn  is  reversed.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  rubber  spring  barrel  was  fastened  to  the  bottom  of 
the  die,  while  in  this  case  it  is  on  the  punch.  The  making  of  a 
die  of  this  kind  is  simple  indeed,  it  being  a  piece  of  round  tool 
steel  turned  and  faced  at  X  X,  in  diameter  sufficient  to  allow  of 
the  blank  to  be  drawn  to  rest  true  within  it.  A  hole  is  let 
through  the  center  at  Z  for  the  drawing  portion,  in  diameter  the 
exact  size  of  the  outside  of  the  shell,  Fig.  347.  The  upper  edge 
of  the  die  is  slightly  rounded,  after  which  it  is  highly  polished 
(or  when  a  grinder  is  handy,  it  is  left  .010  small  and  ground  to 
size  after  hardening).  The  die  Y  is  then  reversed  and  an  oval 
groove  about  1-16  deep  is  turned  into  the  back  at  A  A,  running 
out  to  a  dead  sharp  edge  at  the  die  Z.  Push-through  dies  of  this 
class  should  always  be  left  as  hard  as  possible  as  they  wear  fast. 

A  simple  cast  iron  bolster,  with  a  recess  to  accommodate  the 
die,  is  all  that  is  required  for  the  die.  For  the  punch  R,  a  piece 
of  tool  steel  about  seven  inches  long  is  first  centered  and  turned 
to  the  size  shown,  to  the  length  of  the  shank  R,  to  within  y%  of 
an  inch  greater  than  the  depth  of  the  shell  to  be  drawn,  Fig.  346, 
ending  in  a  square  shoulder  as  shown.  The  end  W  to  form  the 
punch  portions  is  then  turned  to  within  .010  of  the  finish  size, 
that  is,  exactly  two  thicknesses  of  metal  less  than  the  diameter 
of  the  die.  For  the  blank  holder,  a  piece  of  cast  iron  of  suffi- 
cient size  is  first  chucked  and  bored  out  to  fit  the  punch,  fitting  at 
R,  resting  on  the  shoulder  of  the  punch  and  fitting  the  punch 
proper  at  W,  loosely,  as  shown.  It  is  also  reduced  at  V  V  to  just 
fit  the  die  at  X  X.  A  cast  iron  washer  faced  on  both  sides  and 
bored  to  fit  the  stem  R  serves  as  the  back  plate  U  for  the  rubber 
buffer  T,  which  has  a  hole  through  the  center,  as  shown,  large 
enough  to  leave  about  1-16  inch  of  space  all  around  the  stem  R  of 
the  punch.  This  is  so  that  when  the  rubber  is  compressed  it  will 
not  choke  up  around  the  punch. 

In  setting  up  a  punch  and  die  of  this  kind  the  following  way 
is  the  best.  The  stem  of  the  punch  is  first  shoved  up  info  the 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


241 


ram  of  the  press,  which  is  then  brought  down  until  the  face  of 
the  blank  holder  rests  on  the  face  of  the  die  and  the  rubber  is 
compressed  sufficient  to  allow  of  there  being  enough  tension  on 
the  blank  as  soon  as  the  punch  starts  to  draw  the  metal.  The 
punch  is  then  fastened  within  the  ram  with  the  washer  U  resting; 
tightly  against  the  face  of  the  same.  The  punch  is  then  brought 
down  far  enough  to  allow  of  the  points  V  V  of  the  blank  holder 


FIG.     349. — DRAWING     DIE     FOR 
HEMISPHERICAL  CUPS. 


'F  F 

FIG.    350. — REDRAWING 

DIE. 


locating  true  within  the  die  at  X  X,  and  the  bolster  is  securely 
fastened  to  the  press  bolster. 

In  operating  a  die  of  this  kind  a  blank  is  laid  within  X  X  of 
the  die,  and  the  punch  descending,  it  is  held  tightly  between  the 
faces  of  the  blank  holder  (by  means  of  the  spring  barrel  T  com- 
pressing) and  drawn  through  the  die  Z,  the  punch  descending 
far  enough  to  draw  the  shell  completely  through  the  die.  As 
the  punch  ascends,  the  shell  is  stripped  from  it  by  means  of  the 


242  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

sharp  stripping  edge  at  A  A  at  the  back  of  the  die.  One  thing- 
ill  setting  dies  of  this  kind  is  to  be  sure  to  have  sufficient  tension 
on  the  blank  when  the  punch  starts  to  draw  it,  as  otherwise  the 
blank  will  start  to  crimp  or  wrinkle,  thereby  spoiling  it.  The 
shell  shown  in  Fig.  347  is  the  first  drawing  operation  of  four 
necessary  to  produce  the  shell  shown  in  Fig.  348.  The  means 
used  for  reducing  the  diameter  and  increasing  the  height  was 
by  reducing  dies  of  the  type  shown  in  Fig.  350.  The  two  first 
reducing  operations  reducing  the  shell  y%  inch  in  diameter  re- 
spectively, and  the  last  or  finishing  die  1-16  inch.  These  dies 
are  known  as  redrawing,  reducing  or  push  through  dies,  and 
their  design  is  almost  the  same  as  the  die  shown  in  Fig.  346.  D 
is  the  die,  F  F  the  stripping  edge,  and  E  the  gage  used.  To  set 
the  shell  to  be  reduced,  it  is  located  within  the  gage  portion  of 
the  die  at  E,  the  punch  descending  pushes  it  through  the  die;D 
and  strips  it  at  the  edge  F  F.  This  is  a  type  of  die  most  fre- 
quently used  for  producing  shells  of  unusual  height.  The  greater 
the  height  desired  the  greater  the  number  of  operations  required 
to  attain  the  result.  The  finishing  die  should  be  hardened  and 
ground  and  lapped  as  smooth  as  possible,  and  the  punch  ground 
to  exactly  two  thicknesses  of  metal  less  in  diameter  in  order  that 
a  smooth  well-finished  shell  shall  be  produced. 

Drawing  a  Small  Shell  from  Heavy  Stock. 

In  the  production  of  the  shell  shown  in  Fig.  352  a  very  simple 
and  inexpensive  die  was  used,  this  being  possible  as  the  blank  was 
of  comparatively  heavy  stock.  The  die,  Fig.  351,  is  a  simple 
drawing  die.  C  is  the  bolster,  of  cast  iron,  bored  to  admit  the 
drawing  die  A,  and  the  knockout  pad  D,  the  die  A  resting  squarely 
within  it  at  B  and  the  knockout  pad  at  E.  A  clearance  hole  runs 
down  through  the  bolster  for  the  shank  of  the  knockout.  The 
two  setscrews  F  F  were  let  into  the  side  of  the  bolster,  at  an 
angle  as  shown,  to  keep  the  die  A  securely  in  position.  The  die 
is  finished  to  the  exact  size  and  at  the  top  to  the  shape  of  the 
shell  A,  with  a  depression  let  into  the  face  for  the  flat  blank  G, 
thus  serving  as  a  gage.  This  die  was  well  polished  and  tapered 
inward  toward  the  bottom  nearly  one  degree.  It  was  left  very 
hard.  In  the  punch  I  is  the -holder  and  H  the  punch,  the  latter 
being  in  diameter  two  thicknesses  of  metal  less  than  the  die. 
The  set-screw  J  holds  it.  In  operating,  the  blanks  are  lubricated 
by  pouring  heavy  hot  grease  over  them.  One  is  placed  in  the  re- 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


243 


cess  on  the  die,  and  as  the  punch  descends  it  is  drawn  and 
formed  to  the  shape  shown  at  A.  As  the  punch  ascends,  the 
press  knockout  device  strikes  the  knockout  stud  or  pad  D  and 


FIG.  351. — DRAWING   DIE   FOR   HEAVY  STOCK. 

raises  it  sufficiently  to  strip  the  shell  from  the  die.  When  metal 
as  thick  as  here  shown  is  to  be  drawn,  neither  blank-holder,  pad 
or  spring-barrel  rubber  is  required,  as  the  thickness  of  the  blank 


J 


FIG.    352. — SHELL   DRAWN   FROM   HEAVY  STOCK. 

in  proportion  to  the  diameter  of  the  shell  to  be  drawn  prevents 
Avrinkling  or  crimping. 

For  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  shell  the  punch  and  die, 


244 


DIES,,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


Fig.  353,  were  used.  K  is  the  bolster,  M  the  die  and  X  the  gage 
plate.  P  is  the  stripper  bent  to  the  shape  shown  and  fastened  to 
the  back  of  the  bolster.  R  is  the  punch  and  H  the  holder.  The 
shell  A  is  placed  in  the  gage  portion  N,  and  the  punch  descending 
blanks  the  hole;  and  as  it  ascends,  the  shell  is  stripped  from  the 
punch  by  the  stripper  P.  In  drawing  the  shell  and  blanking  the 


FIG.  354.— SHELL 
AS    DRAWN. 


FIG.    355.—  SHEIJ 
AS  CURLED. 


FIG.  353. — PIERCING  DIE. 

hole,  stock  was  left  to  allow  of  finishing  the  shells  in  the  screw 
machine  as  they  were  to  form  part  of  tire  valves  for  automobiles. 

Making  an  Accurate  Combination  Blanking  and  Drawing  Die. 
In  the  following  we  will  describe  a  practical  method,  sume- 
what  different  from  the  first,  of  constructing  an  accurate  com- 
bination blanking  and  drawing  die  for  the  production  in  a  single 
acting  press  of  a  symmetrically  formed  and  nicely  finished 
shell  of  sheet  brass,  which  was  to  be  afterward  polished  and 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  245 

plated  and  used  as  the  cover  on  a  piece  of  table  ware.  This  shell 
is  shown  as  first  drawn  in  Fig.  354  and  the  punch  and  die  for 
producing  it  in  Fig.  356.  As  these  shells  were  required  in  large 
quantities  and  were  required  to  be  duplicates  and  free  from 
scratches  and  marks,  it  was  necessary  to  construct  all  parts  of 
the  die  as  accurately  and  durable  as  possible,  and  with  each 
working  part  separate  to  allow  of  substituting  when  any  one  of 
them  became  worn  or  were  broken. 

Making  the  Drawing  Punch. 

After  making  a  pair  of  templets  of  sheet-steel,  one  the  size 
and  shape  of  the  outside  of  the  shell,  and  the  other  its  exact  du- 
plicate, only  one  thickness  of  metal  smaller  at  all  points,  we  were 
ready  to  start.  The  drawing  punch  J  was  made  first.  A  piece  of 
cold-rolled  stock  was  then  threaded  to  fit  the  hole  in  J,  which  was 
screwed  on  to  it  and  the  outside  turned  to  within  1-64  inch  of  the 
finish  size.  The  curved  face  of  J  was  then  finished  to  templet  to 
the  radius  shown,  the  shape  of  the  inside  turned  in,  leaving 
enough  stock  to  allow  of  grinding  to  a  finish  after  hardening. 
The  punch  was  then  hardened,  slightly  drawn,  and  then  placed 
on  the  threaded  arbor  and  ground  to  the  exact  size  and  shape  in 
the  lathe  by  means  of  a  tool-post  grinder.  The  points  requiring 
the  most  accurate  finishing  are  at  X  X,  as  the  shell  at  this  point 
\vas  required  to  fit  tightly  the  piece  on  which  it  was  used. 

The  Drazving  Die. 

We  now  tackle  the  female  die  and  blanking  punch  combined, 
G,  which  is  in  fact  a  compound  of  a  blanking  punch  and  a  drawing 
die.  A  forging  of  tool  steel  is  chucked  and  a  hole  bored  and 
reamed  through  it  lengthwise  for  the  plunger  and  knockout  F. 
While  still  in  the  chuck,  the  inside  is  roughed  out  and  bored 
as  shown,  using  the  compound  rest  to  get  the  desired  angle  at 
I  I,  and  hand-tooling  the  rounder  corners.  The  straight  portion 
Avas  bored  back  the  distance  shown,  -ending  in  a  square  shoulder 
at  the  back.  The  inside  was  then  lapped  and  polished.  The 
forging  was  then  removed  from  the  chuck  and  forced  onto  an 
arbor,  the  stem  E  turned  to  fit  the  ram  of  the  press,  and  the  back 
faced,  but  the  outside  of  the  punch  proper  was  not  touched  until 
after  the  blank  was  found.  The  plunger  or  knockout  H  was 
then  finished,  the  face  to  the  radius  of  the  templet.  This  face 
acted  as  the  face  of  the  drawing  die.  An  air  hole  was  let 


246 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION     AND    USE. 


through  from  the  back  and  one  let  through  the  blanking  punch 
also.  The  end  of  the  stem  F  was  threaded  for  the  adjusting  nuts 
and  the  face  H  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  light  straw  color.  The 
drawing  punch  and  die  were  now  complete  and  we  were  reacly 


FIG.  356. — COMBINATION  BLANKING  AND   DRAWING  DIE. 

to  finish  the  other  parts,  and  make  the  trial  draws  to  find  the 
blank. 

The   Die   Bolster. 

The  cast  iron  body  of  the  die,  after  being  planed,  was  fas- 
tened to  the  faceplate  of  the  lathe  by  entering  screws  into  four 
tapped  holes  in  the  back.  A  cut  was  taken  off  the  face  and  the 
inside  bored  at  R  R,  which  had  to  be  somewhat  larger  than  the 
blank  would  be.  This  can  be  usually  determined  within  l/s  of  an 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


247 


inch  at  least.  A  recess  was  then  let  into  the  bottom  of  the  inside 
as  a  locating  seat  for  the  drawing  punch  ^,  and  a  hole  bored  and 
reamed  through  the  center  for  the  spring  barrel  stud  V.  The 
ends  of  the  bolster  at  S  S  were  faced  and  eight  5-16  inch  holes 
let  through  around  the  inside,  for  the  eight  blank  holder  tension 
pins  U.  The  blank  holder  ring  ,Q  Q  was  then  got  out,  and  then 
the  eight  tension  pins,  of  5-16  inch  drill  rod.  All  the  finished 


FIG.  357- — DIE   AND   HOLDER   FOR   HALF   CURL. 


parts  of  the  die  were  then  assembled  within  the  bolster  as  shown, 
fastening  the  drawing  punch  J  down  in  its  seat  by  screwing  the 
spring  barrel  stud  V  up  into  it,  allowing  it  to  shoulder  against  the 
back  of  the  bolster.  The  tension  pins  U  were  let  down  into  the 
bolster  and  rested  on  the  cast  iron  washer  Y  of  the  spring  bar- 
rel, while  the  blank  holder  ring  was  placed  on  top  of  them.  The 
edge  of  the  hole  in  the  blank  holder  was  rounded  so  as  to  come 
down  over  the  drawing  easily. 

Finding  the  Blank.  . 

The  bolster,  with  the  parts  mentioned,  was  now  fastened  on 
the  press,  and  the  punch  G,  with  the  plunger  H  in  it,  set  in  line 
with  it.  The  nuts  Z  Z  were  tightened  until  the  buffer  had  been 
compressed  sufficiently  to  hold  the  blank  tightly  between  the 
blank  holder  ring  Q  and  the  face  of  the  punch  G,  as  soon  as  the 
blank  commenced  to  draw.  Now,  to  find  the  blank  cut  out  two 
or  three  different  sizes  of  templets  and  scratch  outlines  of  them 
on  a  sheet  of  metal,  draw  up  the  templets  and  work  from  the 
outline  which  proves  the  nearest  to  the  desired  size  and  shape. 
Thus  the  correct  blank  will  be  found  in  a  short  time. 


248 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


Machining  the  Cutting  Die. 

As  we  now  have  the  correct  diameter  of  the  blank,  we  could 
g-o  ahead  and  finish  the  die.  The  blanking  die  L  L,  chucked  by 
the  hole,  is  faced  on  the  back  and  the  outside  turned  to  an  angle 
of  ten  degrees  and  then  laid  aside,  and  the  fastening  nut  N  N  is 
finished. 

The  bolster  is  now  reset  on  the  faceplate,  the  blanking  die 


4        f 


ig.7 


Fig. 


Fig.  9 


Fig.  10 


Fig.  11 


13 


If 

14,15 


L 


Figs.  16,  17,  18,  19,^0,  21 


24 


3 

j 


Fig.  28  Fig.  45 

FIG.   358. — SAMPLES    OF   COMBINATION   DIE   WORK. 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  249 

L  L  is  secured  by  the  fastening  nut  X,  after  which  the  outside  of 
this  nut  is  finished  and  the  blanking  die  bored  to  within  1-64  inch 
of  the  size  of  the  blank  templet,  and  a  cut  taken  off  the  face.  The 
blanking  die  is  then  removed  from  the  bolster,  after  which  it  is 
hardened  and  drawn  to  a  light  straw  temper.  It  is  again  fas- 
tened on  the  bolster  and  the  inside  ground  to  the  size  of  the  temp- 
let and  the  cutting  face  ground  also  with  a  tool-post  grinder. 
The  hole  for  the  stop-pin  M,  as  will  be  understood,  is  let  in  before 
the  die  is  hardened. 

Finishing  the  Punch. 

The  blanking  punch  is  now  roughed  down  on  the  outside, 
hardened  and  ground  to  fit  the  blanking  die,  the  face  is  ground 
and  the  inside  polished  by  lapping  with  flour  emery.  The  blank- 
ing punch  temper  is  drawn  from  the  back,  manipulating  it  so  as  to 
get  the  cutting  edge  a  very  dark  brown  and  the  drawing  portion 
a  light  straw  temper.  All  the  various  parts  of  both  punch  and  die 
are  now  assembled,  as  shown  in  Fig.  356,  and  the  stop-pin  M  let  in 
and  also  the  four  stripping  pins.  These  pins  are  of  5-16  inch 
Stubs  wire,  and  are  bent  to  project  over  the  face  of  the  die  to 
within  a  fraction  of  the  cutting  edge,  thus  allowing  of  the  strips 
of  stock  being  fed  beneath  them. 

Using  the  Die. 

All  parts  being  finished,  the  die  is  ready  for  work.  It  is  set 
tip  in  the  press  and  the  rubber  spring  barrel  is  adjusted  by  tight- 
ening the  nuts,  so  that  the  blank  holder  ring  Q  Q  will  be  held 
level  with  the  face  of  the  cutting  die.  The  manner  in  which  the 
punch  descends  and  punches  out  and  draws  the  blank  to  a  fin- 
ished shell  is  shown  in  Fig.  356,  the  shell  being  shown  by  a  dark 
section  between  the  drawing  punch  and  the  die.  The  blanking 
punch  descends  until  the  blank  has  been  drawn  from  beneath  its 
face  and  that  of  the  blank  holder  .ring  Q  Q,  the  tension  for  hold- 
ing the  blank  being  communicated  to  the  blank  holder  by  the 
compression  of  the  rubber  spring  barrel.  The  blanking  punch  is 
made  longer  than  necessary,  to  allow  of  grinding  the  face.  The 
cutting  portion  of  the  blanking  die  is  finished  straight  for  its 
entire  depth  and  it  also  can  be  ground. 

When  stock  over  1-16  inch  thick  is  to  be  punched,  the  die 
should  be  ground  shearing.  Fig.  356  represents  the  die  as  it 
appears  when  the  blanking  punch  has  reached  the  bottom  of  its 


25O  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

stroke,  and  shows  how  the  tension  pins  are  forced  down  by  the 
pressure  on  the  blank  holder,  and  how  they  compress  in  turn 
the  rubber  spring  barrel  by  means  of  the  washer  Y.  The  locat- 
ing and  fastening  of  the  blanking  die  upon  the  bolster  by  the 
fastening  nut  N  N  is  the  best  of  several  methods,  as  it  allows  of 
removing  and  grinding  the  blanking  die  and  then  relocating  it  in 
the  shortest  possible  time. 

The  shell  as  finished  in  the  second  operation  is  shown  in  Fig. 
355.  This  operation  consists  of  rolling  inward  and  half-curling 
the  edge.  The  means  used  to  accomplish  this  are  shown  clearly 
in  Fig.  357,  and  can  be  intelligently  understood  with  the  help  of  a 
very  slight  description.  The  shell  before  wiring  is  placed  in  the 
cast  iron  holder  M,  the  edge  of  which  is  rounded  to  facilitate 
rapid  locating.  The  curling  die  F  is  of  tool  steel  and  fits  into  a 
depression  in  the  holder  E.  The  face  of  F  is  turned  as  shown 
and  a  V-shaped  groove  with  a  half-round  bottom  of  the  re- 
quired radius  turned  into  the  face,  to  match  the  templet.  This 
groove  is  lapped  to  a  high  finish.  When  half  curling  a  shell,  the 
curling  die  is  set  to  just  descend  far  enough  to  curl  the  edge 
half  way.  When  a  full  curl,  until  the  edge  meets  the  side  of  the 
shell. 

Constructing  a  Solid-Back  Combination  Die  for  Shallow  Rec- 
tangular Shells. 

In  the  following  we  will  endeavor  to  show  the  most  prac- 
tical and  expedient  method  for  the  construction  of  a  combination 
die  of  a  generally  used  type  for  blanking" 
and  drawing  shallow  rectangular  shells,  of 
plain  metal  of  the  shape  shown  in  the  two 
views  of  Fig.  359  and  also  explain  a  few 
kinks  which  are  new  and  of  interest. 

The  first  things  to  be  considered  are  the 
same  as  those  laid  down  for  constructing 
round  combination  dies,  i.  e.,  the  thickness 
of  stock  to  be  used,  the  shape  and  size  of 
the  shell,  and  the  making  of  the  templet. 

As  for  finding  the  blank,  although  some  die  makers  become 
so  skillful  through  constant  practice  that  they  can  find  simple 
blanks  without  trial  draws,  there  is  no  reliable  formula  which  will 
prove  correct  for  any  two  different  shapes  or  thicknesses  of  metal, 
as  the  conditions  under  which  the  metal  is  drawn  and  formed, 


Shell  to  be  Made 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


251 


whether  in  round  or  rectangular   shapes  or  otherwise,   are  dis- 
tinctly different  in  each  case. 

Making  the  Templets  and  the  Drawing  Punch. 
After  the  forging  for  both  punch  and  die  (which  should  be 
of  wrought  iron  body  and  tool-steel  faced)  have  been  secured, 
the  templets  for  the  drawing  portions  of  both  punch  and  die 
should  be  made.  These  templets  should  be  of  stiff  sheet  metal, 
and  finished  all  over  to  the  exact  shape  and  size  to  which  the 


PIG.  360. — DIE  FOR  RECTANGULAR  SHELLS. 

shell  is  to  be  drawn,  the  difference  between  them  being  exactly 
one  thickness  of  metal  at  all  points.  Then  by  using  the  smaller 
templet  the  drawing  punch  K,  Fig.  360,  should  be  finished  to  it. 
To  finish  the  four  corners  of  the  punch  another  templet,  Fig. 
362,  is  required.  Take  a  piece  of  stiff  sheet  brass  and  drill  and 
ream  a  hole  at  D  to  the  exact  radius  to  which  the  inside  corners 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


of  the  shell  are  required  to  be,  then  cut  away  the  stock  as  shown 
and  finish  the  two  sides  C  and  B  to  leave  a  perfect  quarter  of  a 
circle.  We  fit  all  four  corners  of  the  drawing  punch  to  it,  fin- 
ishing them  smooth  and  free  from  lumps.  Great  care  should  be 
taken  to  get  all  four  corners  alike. 

Machining  the  Drazrirg  Portion  of  the  Punch   Proper. 

Having  finished  all  the  working  parts  of  the  drawing  punch 
K,  we  turn  our  attention  to  the  blanking  punch,  shown  in  Fig. 
361,  the  inside  of  which  is  to  be  finished  to  act  as  the  drawing 
die.  This  forging  is  first  chucked  and  a  hole  is  bored  and 
reamed  through  its  entire  length  to  admit  the  pad  stud  F.  An 
arbor  is  then  forced  into  this  hole  and  run  on  the  lathe  centers, 
and  the  stem  or  shank  E  is  finished  to  fit  the  ram  of  the  press. 
Both  ends  of  the  forging  are  then  faced,  and  after  the  lines  have 
been  struck  for  the  drawing  die  portion  the  arbor  is  removed 


J 

V-    . 

E 

J 

H 

' 

rv 

,';' 

^^i 

•' 

\ 

^ 

:>  —  //  j 

'i 

""*  /^ 

"" 

\ 

x  ^ 

--  --  ' 

/ 

" 

1 

"^                 s'' 

FIG.  361. — PLAN   OP 
PUNCH. 


Templet 


FIG.  362. — TEMPLET 
FOR   CORNERS. 


and  the  work  set  face  up  in  the  chuck  of  the  universal  milling 
machine,  where,  by  the  use  of  the  vertical  attachment,  the  die 
portion  is  finished  to  the  lines  and  templet.  First  a  roughing 
cutter  is  used  and  the  inside  at  G  G  is  roughed  out.  Then  by 
using  a  sharp  end  butt  mill,  the  radius  of  which  is  one  thickness 
of  metal  and  .003  of  clearance  greater  than  that  of  the  corners  of 
the  drawing  punch  K,  and  starting  from  one  corner,  so  as  to  get 
a  perfect  quarter  of  a  circle,  the  work  is  fed  along  one  way  until 
the  distance  from  the  start  of  the  cut  to  the  finish  is  exactly  two 
thicknesses  of  metal  longer,  plus  .003  inch  clearance,  than  the 
length  of  the  punch  K.  The  cut  is  then  started  again  at  right 
angles  to  the  first,  and  the  width  finished  in  the  same  manner,  fin- 
ishing it  two  thicknesses  of  metal  and  clearance  wider  than  the 
punch.  All  four  sides  are  finished  in  this  manner,  and  the  inside  or 
bottom  is  finished  flat  and  square  with  the  sides.  When  the  finish- 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


253 


ing  of  the  die  has  been  done  properly,  extra  care  being  taken  at  the 
corners,  the  inside  of  the  die  will  present  a  smooth  appearance,, 
and  very  little  polishing  will  be  required.  The  two  holes  H  H 
for  the  pad  springs  J  J  are  then  let  in  by  drilling,  and  the  pad  I  is 
got  out.  This  pad  is  of  mild  steel,  about  5-16  inch  thick,  and  is 
finished  to  fit  easily  within  the  die.  A  hole  is  drilled  and  tapped 
in  the  center  and  the  pad  stud  F  is  screwed  tightly  into  it.  This 
pad  stud  is  also  threaded  at  the  other  end  for  the  adjusting  nuts 
L.  The  parts  of  the  die  are  then  assembled  within  the  punch,  and 
we  are  then  ready  to  make  the  trial  draws,  and  find  the  blank, 
as  the  exact  size  and  shape  of  it  have  to  be  found  before  either 
punch  or  die  can  be  finished. 

One  Way  of  Finding  the  Blank  for  a  Rectangular  Shell. 

To  make  these  trial  draws,  when  constructing  dies  of  the 
type  shown  here,  two  things  are  necessary — first,  a  blank  holder 
ring,  which  afterward  forms  a  permanent  part  of  the  die,  andr 
second,  a  trial  spring  barrel  and  plate.  The  blank  holder  is  usu- 
ally a  forging  of  tool  steel,  and  it  is  shown  at  N  N  in  both  the 
plan  and  the  cross-sectional  view  of  the  die  in  Fig.  363.  This 


o 


>  ,  -xWtl 

^^^^  o£ 


O 


FIG.  363. — PLAN   OP   DIE. 

blank  holder  should  be  about  $&  inch  thick,  and,  after  being 
planed  on  both  sides,  it  should  be  worked  out  on  the  inside  to 
templet,  to  fit  nicely  at  all  points  around  the  drawing  punch  K. 
The  outer  edges  of  the  blank  holder  are  left  rough  until  the  blank- 
ing die  has  been  finished. 

We  now  work  out  several  different  sizes  of  templets,  in  size 
and  shape  somewhere  near  what  we  think  will  be  required  to 


254 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


form  the  shell,  transferring  an  outline  of  each  size,  and  marking 
the  duplicates,  upon  a  flat  sheet  of  stock.  The  templets  are  to 
draw  up  and  the  outlines  for  reference  afterward.  These  templets 
should  be  got  out  of  the  same  stock  that  is  to  be  used  for  the 
shells.  The  manner  of  making  the  trial  draws  is  shown  in  Fig. 


Blank  Holder 
™D 

Blauk  Holder  Pad 


FIG.    364. — ARRANGEMENT  FOR   FINDING  SIZE   AND 
SHAPE   OF  BLANKS. 

364.  The  spring  barrel  is  of  rubber,  4  inches  in  diameter  and  6 
inches  long,  with  a  clearance  hole  straight  through  it  to  admit 
the  barrel  stud,  which  is  screwed  tightly  into  the  bottom  of  the 
barrel  plate.  The  tension  pins  for  supporting  the  blank  holder 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  255 

pad  are  six  in  number,  and  they  are  made  extra  strong  so  as  to 
alfow  of  using  the  spring  barrel  for  trial  draws  of  a  number  of 
different  sized  shells.  These  pins  have  to  be  finished  all  to  ex- 
actly the  same  length,  so  as  to  allow  of  the  blank,  which  is  to  be 
drawn  up,  being  held  with  an  equal  tension  at  all  points.  The 
parts  of  this  trial  spring  barrel  are  assembled  as  shown  with  the 
plate  resting  on  the  press  bolster,  and  the  barrel  projecting  down 
through  the  hole.  The  drawing  punch  is  located  on  the  plate, 
and  the  blank  holder  pad  and  blank  holder  are  placed  around  it, 
as  shown.  The  tension  adjusting  nuts  on  the  end  of  the  barrel 
stud  are  then  adjusted  so  that  there  will  be  sufficient  tension  be- 
tween the  blank  holder  and  the  face  of  the  punch,  so  that  when 
the  punch  descends  and  the  blank  is  drawn  up  into  it,  the  metal 
will  not  crimp  or  wrinkle. 

One  of  the  templets  or  blanks  which  we  have  got  out,  is 
now  placed  on  the  blank  holder,  getting  it  approximately  central 
with  the  drawing  punch.  The  punch  proper,  in  which  is  embodied 
the  drawing  die,  is  fastened  within  the  ram  of  the  press,  and  the 
"barrel  plate  shifted  and  set  so  that  the  die  is  central  with  it. 
The  punch  is  then  brought  down,  by  revolving  the  press  flywheel 
by  hand,  until  the  templet  or  blank  has  been  drawn  up  into  it. 
The  punch  is  then  raised  and  the  drawn  shell  is  expelled  by  the 
spring  pad  I.  We  are  now  able  to  determine  where  we  have  any 
excess  of  metal  and  where  we  have  a  deficiency  of  it  in  the  blank. 
We  now  take  another  blank  and  increase  or  decrease  the  size  at 
any  point  that  the  shape  of  the  drawn  shell  may  require.  We 
then  transfer  an  outline  of  this  templet  to  a  sheet,  after  which 
we  draw  it  up.  By  repeating  this  operation  a  few  times  we  are 
at  last  able  to  determine  the  exact  size  and  shape  of  the  blank. 
Sometimes  the  blank  may  be  found  in  two  trials,  and  often,  when 
the  shape  is  odd  or  intricate,  it  is  necessary  to  make  quite  a  num- 
ber of  templets  and  trial  draws  before  the  exact  size  and  shape 
of  the  blank  can  be  determined. 

Finishing  the  Blanking  Portion   of  the  Die. 

Having  found  the  correct  blank  for  the  shell,  and  having 
made  a  perfect  templet,  we  can  go  ahead  and  finish  the  die.  By 
reverting  to  Fig.  360,  the  method  of  construction  will  be  clearly 
understood.  The  forging  for  the  blanking  die  is  first  machined 
on  the  bottom  and  the  ends  at  P  P  and  O.  A  hole  is  then 
drilled  at  each  end,  as  shown,  and  the  forging  is  bolted  tightly 


256  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

on  the  table  of  the  milling  machine.  Then  by  using  the  vertical 
attachment  the  die  is  finished  to  templet,  finishing  it  straight  for 
about  y%  inch  of  its  depth  and  then  undercutting  as  shown  at 
Q  Q.  The  outside  of  the  die  is  then  sheared  away,  leaving  about 
3-16  margin  all  around  the  cutting  edge,  as  shown  in  the  plan  of 
the  die.  The  blank  holder  ring  N  is  then  finished  to  fit  nicely 
within  the  die,  finishing  the  outside  so  that  the  opening  for  the 
drawing  punch  will  be  exactly  in  the  center  of  it — this  calls  for 
very  accurate  work.  The  blank  holder  is  then  hardened,  drawn, 
and  ground  true  and  flat  on  both  sides. 

Locating  the  Drawing  Punch   Within  the  Die. 

To  locate  the  drawing  punch  K  central  within  the  blanking 
die,  the  blank  holder  N  is  entered  within  the  blanking  die  and  the 
drawing  punch  K  is  located  within  the  blank  holder.  Four  holes 
are  then  drilled  through  the  back  of  the  blanking  die  and  trans- 
ferred into  the  drawing  punch,  two  holes  for  the  flat-head  screws 
S  S  and  two  for  the  dowels  T  T.  The  punch  and  blank  holder 
are  then  removed  and  the  holes  for  the  six  blank-holder  tension 
pins  V  drilled  through,  distributing  them  evenly  or  equally 
around  the  inside  of  the  die.  After  the  holes  for  the  four  strip- 
ping pins  Bi  and  the  stop-pin  Ai  are  drilled  and  the  hole  for 
the  spring  barrel  stud  U  let  in  and  tapped,  we  are  ready  to 
harden  and  temper  the  die. 

Hardening  the  Cutting  Die. 

To  do  this  right  the  die  should  be  carefully  heated  in  either  a 
gas  muffle  or  a  charcoal  furnace  to  an  even  cherry  red  and  then 
quenched  in  a  tub  of  water,  which  should  not  be  too  cold.  After 
hardening,  the  die  should  be  placed  on  the  fire  and  slightly 
warmed.  The  face  should  then  be  ground  and  the  outside  mar- 
gin and  the  inside  polished.  To  temper  the  die,  heat  a  flat  block 
of  cast  iron  (large  enough  to  hold  the  heat  for  some  time)  and 
when  it  is  red  hot  place  the  die  face  up  on  it,  wipe  and  polish 
top  with  an  oily  piece  of  waste  and  the  various  stages  of  temper 
can  be  noted,  and  when  a  light  straw  appears  remove  the  die 
and  allow  it  to  cool  off  slowly. 

Finishing  a  Square  Blanking  Punch. 

The  finishing  of  the  blanking  punch  is  a  very  simple  matter, 
all  that  is  necessary  to  attain  good  results  being  a  little  care  and 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  257 

the  application  of  a  few  methods  of  construction  which  have 
become  standard.  The  punch  is  placed  on  an  arbor  and  located 
on  the  miller  centers  and  the  four  sides  are  milled  down  to  al- 
most the  finish  size.  The  edges  of  the  punch  are  then  slightly 
beveled,  and  it  is  placed  under  the  press  with  the  drawing  punch 
raised  so  as  to  locate  itself  in  the  punch  by  straddling  it  with  two 
pieces  of  stock,  and  the  punch  sheared  a  little  ways  into  the 
blanking  die.  It  is  then  removed  and  the  surplus  stock  is  worked 
away  and  then  filed  until  it  is  a  snug  fit  within  the  die.  After 
the  face  of  the  punch  has  been  slightly  sheared,  and  the  edges  of 
the  drawing  die  slightly  rounded  and  highly  polished,  the  punch 
may  be  hardened  and  then  tempered  by  laying  it  alternately  on 
each  of  its  four  sides  on  a  hot  plate,  tempering  the  cutting  edges 
to  a  dark  blue  and  leaving  the  inside  or  drawing  portion  as  hard 
as  possible.  When  finishing  the  blanking  portion  of  the  punch, 
care  has  to  be  taken  to  do  it  so  that  the  drawing  portion  will  be 
perfectly  central. 

The  drawing  punch  K  is  hardened  and  drawn  slightly.  It  is 
then  fastened  and  located  within  the  blanking  die  by  means  of 
two  flathead  screws  S  S  and  the  two  dowels  T  T.  This  punch 
should  be  highly  polished  for  the  inside  of  the  shell  to  present  a 
smooth  appearance.  The  four  stripper  pins  should  be  of  stiff 
drill  rod  and  bent  and  driven  into  the  base  of  the  blanking  die  in 
the  position  shown,  projecting  out  over  the  blanking  die  so  that 
the  blanking  punch  will  just  clear  them.  The  stop-pin  Ai  is  also, 
of  drill  rod.  The  two  spring  barrel  washers  W  and  Y  are  of  cast 
iron,  and  are  faced  on  both  sides,  as  are  also  the  adjustable  nuts  Z. 

Use  and  Action  of  the  Die. 

When  in  operation,  the  punch  and  die  are  set  up  in  the  press 
in  the  relative  positions  shown  in  Fig.  360,  and  the  stroke  is  set 
so  that  the  pad  will  bottom.  The  strip  of  metal  to  be  punched  is 
then  fed  under  the  stripper  pins  and  against  the  stop-pin  Ai. 
The  punch  descending,  the  metal  is  punched  and  the  blank  is  held 
between  the  faces  of  punch  and  blank  holder,  the  tension  on  it  in- 
creasing as  the  punch  descends  and  the  rubber  spring  barrel  com- 
presses, and  the  -shell  is  drawn.  As  the  punch  reaches  the  end  of 
its  stroke,  the  drawing  punch  K  forces  the  shell  solidly  against 
the  pad  I,  flattening  the  bottom  and  squaring  the  edges.  As  the 
punch  rises  the  drawn  and  finished  shell  is  expelled  from  the 
punch  by  the  spring  pad  I,  and  as  the  press  is  inclined,  it  drops 


•258  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

off  at  the  back  through  gravity,  while  the  scrap  is  stripped  from 
the  punch  by  the  four  stripping  pins. 

Combination  dies  of  the  design  and  construction  here  shown 
can  be  used  to  the  best  advantage  for  the  blanking  and  drawing 
of  shells  which  are  not  required  to  exceed  y%  inch  in  height,  as,  in 
order  to  draw  that  amount,  the  rubber  spring  barrel   is   com- 
pressed to  the  maximum,  and  to  compress  it  more  would  cause 
the  metal  to  either  stretch  excessively  or  to  split.     So  when  it  is 
desired  to  draw  shells  over  J-6  inch  in  height,  more  than  one  die 
is  required. 
\  '-• 
A  Set  of  Dies  for  Decorated  Tin  Boxes  of  Rectangular  Shape. 

In  no  branch  of  modern  sheet-metal  manufacturing,  have 
dies  and  press  fixtures  been  adopted  and  developed  with  better 
results,  than  in  the  manufacture  of  decorated  tin  boxes  of  rec- 
tangular or  irregular  shapes.  As  these  boxes  have  almost  com- 
pletely superseded  the  old  pasteboard  and  small  wooden  kinds,  the 
number  of  skilled  and  well  paid  mechanics  constantly  engaged 
in  making  improved  tools  for  their  cheap  and  rapid  production  is 
enormous.  It  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  say  that  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  such  articles,  results  are  attained,  both  as  to  cheapness 
and  rapidity  of  production,  which  are  not  equaled  in  any  other 
branch  of  sheet-metal  working. 

The  following  description  and  accompanying  illustrations  are 
of  a  set  of  dies  for  the  production  of  vaseline  boxes  and  covers, 
the  dimensions  of  which  were  required  to  be :  3%  inches  long 
by  I  13-16  inches  wide  by  ^4  inch  deep.  The  operations  required 
to  finish  the  box  and  cover  are  shown  by  the  half-tones,  Figs. 
365  to  368.  Fig.  365  is  the  result  of  the  first  operation ;  that  of 
punching  out  the  blank  and  drawing  it  as  shown.  Fig.  366  is  the 
appearance  of  Fig.  365  after  the  second  operation,  which  con- 
sists of  trimming  the  edges  of  the  blank  and  drawing  it  to  the 
height  shown.  The  third  operation  consists  of  forming  the  nar- 
row bead  in  the  four  sides  of  the  box,  as  shown  in  Fig.  367.  Fig. 
368  shows  the  cover  of  the  box,  which  is  blanked  and  drawn  and 
paneled  in  one  operation. 

First  Operation  for  Rectangular  Shells. 

The  first  operation,  Fig.  365,  is  accomplished  with  the  punch 
and  die  shown  in  vertical  cross  section  in  Figs.  369  and  370  and 
showing  plans  of  the  punch  and  die  respectively.  This  punch  and 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


259 


die  is  of  the  single-acting,  combination  blanking  and  drawng 
type,  and  is  of  a  construction  which  will  allow  of  the  best  results 
being  attained  at  the  minimum  of  cost  and  labor.  It  also  pos- 
sesses a  number  of  new  and  improved  features  which  facilitate 
production. 

As  shown  in  Fig.  369,  the  cutting  or  blanking  die  is  finished 
from  a  forging  of  mild  steel  with  a  tool  steel  ring  welded  on  for 
the  die  proper.  Beneath  the  blanking  die  is  the  punch  plate,  on 


FIG.  365. — FIRST   OPERATION. 


PIG.  366. — SECOND    OPERATION. 


FIG.  367. — THIRD   OPERATION. 


FIG.  368. — THE   COVER. 


which  are  located  the  spring  barrel  stud,  the  drawing  punch  and 
the  blanking  die ;  the  latter  located  by  a  dowel  at  each  end.  The 
drawing  punch  is  located  and  fastened  on  the  punch  plate  by 
two  dowels  and  two  screws,  as  seen  in  the  plan  view,  Fig.  370. 
The  blanking  die  is  finished  with  three  degrees  of  clearance  and 
the  blank  holder  ring  is  machined  to  fit  it.  The  cutting  die  is 
hardened  and  drawn  to  a  light  straw  and  the  face  is  sheared  so  as 
to  have  four  or  five  high  spots  equidistant  around  the  cutting 
edge.  The  stripper  on  the  die  consists  of  a  piece  of  sheet  stock 
worked  out  to  a  clearance  size  for  the  punch,  and  located  at  the 
t>ack  of  the  die  on  two  pieces  of  tubing  B  B  by  two  cap  screws 


260 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


A  A.  This  kind  of  stripper  works  better  than  the  usual  bent 
pins,  and  should  be  used  wherever  possible.  The  stop  consists 
of  a  stud  driven  into  the  die  base  and  an  adjustable  squared  piece 
of  stock  let  into  an  inclined  hole  and  located  by  a  setscrew.  The 
six  tension  pins,  the  buffer  or  spring  barrel  and  washers,  as  well 
as  the  shape  of  the  blanking  die  are  shown  in  Figs.  369  and  370. 
The  punch  consists  of  two  parts,  the  blanking  punch,  the  in- 
side of  which  acts  as  the  drawing  die,  and  the  pad,  which  also 
acts  as  the  knockout.  The  shape  of  the  cutting  edge  of  the 


s^frl 


FIG.  369. — CUTTING  AND  DRAWING  DIE  FOR   FIRST   OPERATION. 


punch  is  the  exact  shape  of  the  blank  required  to  form  Fig.  365. 
The  manner  In  which  the  blanking  and  drawing  of  Fig.  365  is  ac- 
complished can  be  understood  from  Fig.  369,  as  can  also  all  other 
points  of  construction. 

Fundamental   Practical   Points   for   Making   Irregular   Shaped 

Drawing  Dies, 

The  fundamental  practical  points  to  be  kept  in  mind  when 
constructing  a  die  of  this  kind  for  working  decorated  stock  are 
as  follows :  Make  three  templets ;  one  for  the  drawing  die,  an- 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


26l 


other  for  the  drawing  punch  and  a  third  for  the  corners  so  as 
to  get  the  proper  radius.  Finish  the  drawing  die,  the  punch 
plate,  the  two  sides  of  the  blank  holder  ring  and  the  inside,  and 
the  drawing  die,  before  starting  on  the  cutting  die  or  punch. 
Then  make  your  trial  draws  until  the  proper  blank  is  found. 
When  you  have  an  exact  blank,  finish  the  cutting  die  and  the 
outside  of  the  blank  holder  ring,  and  fit  the  blanking  punch. 
Take  a  cut  off  the  die  base  after  the  die  has  been  hardened.  For 
decorated  metal  allow  .006  inch  clearance  in  the  drawing  die; 
that  is,  finish  the  drawing  die  .006  inch  and  two  thicknesses  of 
metal  larger  than  the  drawing  punch,  while  for  plain  tin  allow 
about  .0035  inch.  By  doing  this  there  will  be  no  necessity  for 
easing  up  with  files  or  grinding,  and  the  designs  on  the  metal  will 
not  be  marred  or  scratched.  Round  the  edges  of  the  drawing  die 
smoothly;  if  the  draw  is  very  short,  1-32  inch  will  be  enough, 


FIG.  370. — PLAN  OF  COMBINATION  DIE. 


and  if  long  increase  it  accordingly.  Be  careful  to  get  all  the 
corners  of  the  drawing  punch  the  same  radius  and  those  in  the 
die  also  (plus  two  thicknesses  of .  metal  and  clearance)  and  lap 
very  smooth.  By  keeping  the  above  points  in  mind  no  trouble 
will  be  encountered  when  constructing  a  die  of  this  type. 

Trimming   and   Draining   Die   for   Second    Operation. 

For  the  second  operation,  that  of  trimming  the  edge  of  the 
portion  of  the  blank  which  is  still  flat  and  finishing  the  draw, 
the  double-acting  punch  and  die,  Fig.  371,  are  used.  This  die 
is  used  in  a  double-acting  press.  The  plunger  or  punch  con- 
sists of  the  holder,  a  mild  steel  forging,  the  trimming  punch  and 
the  drawing  punch.  The  holder  is  located  on  the  face  of  the 


262 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


press  ram  and  fastened  by  two  cap  screws  through  G  G.  The 
cutting  punch  is  located  in  a  machined  seat  sunk  into  the  face 
of  the  holder  and  is  fastened  by  four  flat  head  screws.  The 
plunger  proper  or  drawing  punch,  fits  the  inside  of  the  trim- 
ming die  and  is  finished  with  a  taper  stem  for  locating  and  fasten- 
ing it  in  the  press ;  the  drawing  punch  portion  is  finished  verv 
smooth  and  is  hardened. 

The  die  consists  of  the  cast  iron   bolster,  the  trimming  die 


FIG.    371. — DOUBLE-ACTION   TRIMMING   AND   RE-DRAWING   DIE 
FOR  SECOND  OPERATION. 

and  the  drawing  die.  The  trimming  die  is  located  within  a  ma- 
chined seat  in  the  top  of  the  bolster  and  is  fastened  by  four  head- 
less screws  J.  The  drawing  die  is  located  within  a  machined  seat 
in  the  bottom  of  the  trimming  die  and  is  fastened  to  the  bolster 
by  four  flat  head  screws  from  the  bottom.  The  drawing  die  is 
left  very  hard  and  is  lapped  to  a  dead  finish  and  the  upper  edge* 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


rounded,  while  the  lower  edges  are  left  sharp  and  act  as  a  strip- 
per for  the  work. 

The  action  of  this  die  when  in  operation  can  be  understood 
from  Fig.  371,  in  which  is  shown  the  work  after  the  cutting  punch 
has  descended  and  trimmed  the  edges  and  has  stopped  (holding 
the  flat  portion  tightly  on  the  face  of  the  drawing  die,  by  the 
action  of  the  press)  while  the  plunger  or  drawing  punch  con- 
tinues to  descend  and  draws  the  metal  into  and  through  the  draw- 
ing die,  producing  the  shell  shown  in  Fig.  365. 

The  Use  of  Trimming  Dies  for  Drawn  Work. 

The  reasons  why  a  second  drawing  die  of  this  type  is  neces- 
sary in  order  to  produce  shells  of  the  height  shown  are :  In  the 
first  place,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  produce  shells  of  any,  except 


FIG.  372. — AUTOMATIC   BEADING  DIE   AND   PLUNGER. 

very  shallow,  depths  with  true  edges  without  a  trimming  opera- 
tion, because  the  flow  of  the  metal  while  it  is  being  drawn  is 
such  that  the  slightest  defect  in  the  blank  will  show  up  in  a 
jagged  edge  in  the  drawn  shell,  and  the  deeper  the  draw  the 
greater  the  effect  in  the  walls  of  the  shells.  Secondly,  any  de- 
fect in  the  construction  of  the  press  or  in  the  alignment  of  the 
ram  with  the  bolster,  or  any  inaccuracy  of  parallelism  in  the  parts 


264 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


of  the  punch  and  die,  will  contribute  to  raggedness  in  the  walls 
of  all  drawn  work  of  rectangular  or  irregular  shape.  The  only 
way  to  overcome  this  is  to  trim  the  edges  in  a  second  operation 
in  a  cutting  die  of  the  type  shown  or  with  rotary  shearing  cut- 
ters* 

The  Beading  of  the  Shell 

Fig.  372  shows  the  die  and  plunger  used  to  form  the  bead  in 
the  four  walls  of  the  shell  of  box  shown  in  Fig.  367.  The  bead 
does  not  extend  entirely  around  the  shell,  but,  instead,  runs  to 
within  about  %  inch  of  each  corner.  Fig.  373  shows  a  plan  of 
the  plunger  and  Fig.  374  a  plan  of  the  die.  From  the  three 
illustrations  the  construction  and  operation  of  the  tools  can  be 


FIG.  373. — PLAN  OF  PLUNGER  OF  AUTOMATIC  BEADING  DIE. 

understood.  The  die  and  plunger  are  automatic  and  are  con- 
structed, the  one  to  expand  and  the  other  to  contract,  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  down  and  up  strokes  of  the  press  ram. 

The  die  consists  of,  first  the  bed  plate,  Fig.  372,  which  is  a 
mild  steel  forging  with  a  raised  surface  X  in  the  center  in 
which  the  four  sections  N  of  the  beading  die  proper  are  located 
to  move  in  and  out  in  dovetailed  channels.  These  four  sections 
are  of  tool  steel  and  have  a  bead  milled  out  on  their  faces,  as 
shown  by  the  dotted  lines  in  profile  at  O  in  Fig.  372.  They  are 
beveled  at  Z  for  the  faces  of  the  plunger  studs  F,  and  are  forced 
outwardly  together  by  the  springs  Y.  The  pins  P  prevent  them 
from  expanding  too  far.  The  shell  is  located  on  the  spring  pad 
L,.Fig.  372.  This  spring  pad  is  worked  by  the  four  tension  pins 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS. 


M,  the  lower  ends  of  which  rest  on  the  large  washer  T,  which  is 
located  on  the  spring  stud  S.  The  spring  U,  the  washer  V  and 
the  two  nuts  are  the  other  parts. 

The  plunger  is  shown  in  section  in  Fig.  372,  and  in  plan 
in  Fig.  373.  The  stem  (not  shown)  of  the  body  plate  A  is  fitted 
to  the  ram  of  the  press.  The  four  inclined  faced  studs  F  are  for 
contracting  the  die  sections  N.  The  expander  B  is  located  and 
fastened  in  the  stem  of  the  body  plate  by  means  of  a  strong 
taper  pin  (not  shown) .  The  holder  is  then  milled  dovetailed  to  ad- 
mit the  four  expanding  sections  J.  Small  pieces  H  are  dovetailed 
into  the  sides  of  the  holder  as  backs  for  the  springs.  The  bead 
on  the  sections  is  shown  at  K.  The  sections  J  are  hardened 
and  drawn  to  a  light  straw,  as  are  also  the  sections  N  in  the  die. 

The  manner  in  which  the  die  is  operated  can  be  understood 


FIG.  374. — PLAN  OP  AUTOMATIC  BEADING  DIE. 

from  Fig.  372.  The  shell  is  placed  upon  the  spring  pad  L  and 
located  by  the  raised  ribs  at  the  side  and  back.  As  the  plunger 
descends,  the  four  sections  enter  the  shell  until  they  strike  the 
bottom,  when  the  spring  pad  is  forced  downward.  When  the 
spring  pad  is  halfway  down  the  inclined  faces  of  the  studs  F  en- 
counter the  portions  Z  of  the  sections  N  in  the  die,  and  com- 
mence to  contract  them.  As  the  spring  pad  bottoms  on  the  bol- 
ster, the  sections  N  touch  the  walls  of  the  shell  and  remain  sta- 
tionary, while  the  inclined  faced  studs  and  plunger  continue  pro- 
gressing downward  and  the  four  sections  are  expanded  by  the 
plunger  at  C,  the  sides  or  sections  expanding  until  the  beads 
are  produced  in  the  walls  of  the  shell.  As  the  plunger  rises,  the 
four  punch  sections  contract  by  the  action  of  the  springs  I,  and 
are  withdrawn  from  the  shell,  while  the  die  sections  expand  by 


266  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE.. 

the  action  of  the  springs  Y,  and  the  spring  pad  L  raises  the 
beaded  shell  to  the  top  of  the  die,  to  be  thrown  off  by  the  oper- 
ator. The  shell  as  beaded  in  this  die  is  shown  in  Fig.  367. 

The  cover,  Fig.  368,  is  produced  in  one  operation  in  a  die  of 
the  same  construction  as  the  one  shown  in  Fig.  369.  As  the  draw 
is  rather  shallow  no  trimming  die  is  necessary.  Instead,  in  order 
to  produce  the  edge  shown,  the  blank  must  be  exact  in  shape  and 
size  at  all  points. 

Rules  for  Figuring  the  Approximate  Size  of  Blanks  for  Drazvn 

Shells. 

All  die  makers  that  have  had  much  experience  in  making 
drawing  dies,  know  that  there  is  no  way  of  figuring  out  the  exact 
size  of  a  blank  for  a  shell  of  a  given  depth  and  diameter.  In 
fact,  the  only  way  to  secure  a  perfect  blank  is  by  the  "cut  and 
try"  method  described  in  another  part  of  this  chapter.  How- 
ever, although  a  perfect  blank  cannot  be  found  by  figuring,  a 
blank  of  approximately  the  correct  size  can  be  found  by  so  doing. 
As  it  is  always  well  to  know  how  to  do  this  in  order  that  the  cor- 
rect blank  shall  be  found  in  as  few  trial  draws  as  possible,  we 
give  here  a  method  which  has  worked  well  in  practice. 

The  way  to  figure  out  the  approximate  size  of  a  blank  for 
plain  cylindrical  shells  is  as  follows.  Take  the  outside  diameter 
of  the  shell  to  be  drawn  and  add  it  to  the  length  or  depth  of  same. 
Then  add  to  this  1-32  inch  for  every  3-16  inch  of  depth,  and 
the  resulting  total  will  be  very  near  the  exact  size  of  the  re- 
quired blank.  For  deep  shells  this  rule  will  allow  of  finding  r\ 
blank  which,  when  the  shell  is  drawn,  will  leave  enough  for 
trimming,  while  for  shallow  shells,  which  will  draw  perfectly 
square  across  the  top,  a  slight  reduction  in  size  will  be  necessary. 
The  amount  to  deduct  will  become  apparent  after  the  first  trial 
draw. 

As  a  simple  example  of  how  to  find  the  blank,  say  the  height 
of  the  shell  is  to  be  2.625,  and  its  diameter  (outside)  2.225.  Al- 
lowing 1-32  inch  to  every  3-16  inch  of  height,  as  2.625  equals  42- 
16,  we  get  14-32  or  .4373  to  add  to  the  added  total  of  height  and 
depth.  Thus  we  have  the  following : 

Height  of  shell  to  be  =  2.625  in. 
Depth  of  shell  to  be  =  2.225  m- 
Allowance  to  add  on  =  .4373  in. 


DRAWING    PROCESSES    FOR    SHEET    METAL    SHELLS.  26/ 

As  the  total  of  this,  2.625+2.225+4373',  equals  5.2873,  the  dia- 
meter of  the  blank  should  be  a  little  over  5  and  9-32  inches. 

There  are  any  number  of  rules  for  figuring  the  size  of  blanks, 
in  which  the  principle  upon  which  the  finding  of  the  diameter  is 
based,  is  that  the  area  of  a  drawn  shell  equals  the  area  of  the 
blank  from  which  it  is  drawn.  But  as  it  never  does,  because  of 
the  fact  that  all  sheet  metals  stretch  and  run  unequally  under 
drawing  pressure,  the  rules  work  well  only  on  paper.  The  way  to 
construct  a  drawing  die  in  the  shortest  possible  time  is  to  figure  out 
the  approximate  size  of  the  blank  in  the  manner  described  above, 
cut  out  and  file  up  a  templet  according  to  the  result,  make  the 
drawing  portions  of  the  die,  make  the  trial  draws,  discover 
where  there  is  an  excess  or  a  deficiency  of  metal,  make  a  new 
templet,  which  should  be  almost  perfect,  draw  it  up  and,  if  found 
correct,  finish  the  cutting  portions  of  the  die. 

In  one  large  shop  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  over  100  die 
makers  are  employed,  they  have  a  man  who  does  nothing  but 
figure  out  the  approximate  blanks  for  the  drawing  dies  and 
make  templets.  He  makes  the  templets  according  to  his  findings, 
and  they  are  given  to  the  die-makers^  who  proceed  to  make  the 
dies  in  the  manner  described  above,  finding  the  exact  blank  as  they 
go  along. 

The  Drawing  and  Forming  of  Aluminum. 

For  the  drawing  of  aluminum  shells,  tools  of  the  same  con- 
struction as  those  used  for  the  production  of  shells  from  sheet 
brass  or  other  sheet  metals  should  be  used.  The  precaution 
necessary  to  insure  satisfactory  results  being  the  use  of  a  proper 
lubricant,  which  usually  should  be  a  cheap  grade  of  vaseline,  not 
infrequently,  however,  for  deep  draws,  lard  oil  will  contribute  to 
the  attainment  of  good  results.  In  the  majority  of  cases  better 
results  will  be  derived  from  the  use  of  vaseline.  Never  attempt 
to  work  aluminum  without  the  use  of  a  lubricant,  either  in  drill- 
ing, turning,  or  press  working.  For  the  first  two  operations  use 
kerosene.  Aluminum  is  properly  susceptible  to  deeper  drawing 
with  less  occasion  to  anneal  than  any  of  the  other  commercial 
metals.  When,  for  instance,  an  article  which  is  now  manufac- 
tured in  brass,  requiring  say  three  or  four  operations  to  complete, 
would  usually. have  to  be  annealed  after  each  operation,  condi- 
tions, such  as  the  thickness  of  metal,  depth  of  draw,  etc.,  deter- 
mining this ;  with  aluminum,  however,  if  the  proper  grade 


268  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

is  used,  it  is  generally  possible  to  perform  these  three  operations 
without  annealing  the  metal  at  all,  and  at  the  same  time  to  pro- 
duce a  finished  shell  which  to  all  intents  and  purposes  is  as  stiff 
as  an  article  made  from  sheet  brass. 

In  order  to  work  aluminum  successfully  by  the  use  of  dies 
in  the  power  press,  particular  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  fact 
that  a  proper  grade  of  metal  is  necessary,  for  either  through 
ignorance  or  to  not  observing  this  fundamental  point  is  the 
foundation  for  the  majority  of  complaints  that  aluminum  has 
been  worked  and  proved  a  failure.  If  it  should  be  found  neces- 
sary to  anneal  aluminum,  it  can  be  readily  accomplished  by  heat- 
ing it  in  an  ordinary  muffle,  being  careful  that  the  temperature 
shall  not  be  too  high — about  650  or  700  deg.  F.  The  best  test 
as  to  when  the  metal  has  reached  the  proper  temperature,  is  to 
take  a  soft  stick  and  draw  it  across  the  metal.  If  the  stick  chars 
and  leaves  a  black  mark  on  the  metal,  it  is  sufficiently  annealed 
and  is  in  a  proper  condition  to  proceed  with  further  operations. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

COINING  PROCESSES PUNCHES,  DIES,  AND  PRESSES  FOR  OPERATIONS 

ON   HEAVY  STOCK. 

The  Philadelphia  Mint. 

Some  of  the  finest  and  most  powerful  presses  built  to-day  are 
used  for  coining,  and  nowhere  in  the  world  is  there  a  finer  lot  of 
such  machines  than  in  the  new  United  States  mint  in  Philadelphia.. 
This  new  mint  is  the  best-equipped  and  most  artistically-modeled 
coining  establishment  in  the  world,  and  as  it  now  stands  has  cost 
over  $2,400,000.  As  a  description  of  this  great  factory  will  con- 
vey to  the  reader  an  understanding  of  the  various  processes  re- 
quired in  the  coining  of  metal,  we  will  begin  with  the  melting" 
room  and  proceed  onward  until  we  reach  the  department  where 
the  finished  coins  are  turned  out. 

The  bullion  used  for  coin  is  first  received  in  the  deposit  room, 
and  from  there  goes  to  the  melting  room.  In  this  room  are  six- 
teen melting  furnaces.  Crude  petroleum  is  used  exclusively  for 
heating  the  furnaces,  the  temperature  of  which  can  be  raised  to< 
1,000  degrees. 

The  "keg-shaped  crucibles  are  made  of  plumbago  and  are  kept 
piled  about  the  furnaces.  These,  as  needed,  are  placed  in  the  fur- 
naces and  in  them  are  placed  the  gold  and  silver  bricks,  which 
are  brought  from  all  parts  of  the  world  and  vary  greatly  in  size 
and  shape.  Before  being  turned  into  coin  they  must  be  alloyed 
with  copper  until  900  per  cent.  fine. 

The  men  who  do  the  melting  stand  before  the  furnaces  wear- 
ing huge  mittens  made  of  heavy  buckskin  or  crash,  padded  with 
pieces  of  Brussels  carpet.  When  the  metal  reaches  a  certain  color  r 
which  they  can  detect  only  after  long  experience,  it  is  ready  to  be 
moulded  into  ingots.  But  before  this  is  done  a  few  drops  of  the 
molten  metal  are  removed  for  the  assayer. 

In  moulding,  a  man  whose  gloved  hands  grasp  a  pair  of  tongs 
holding  a  three-spouted  gray  bowl  in  their  jaws,  dips  from  each 
crucible  the  glowing  metal  and  pours  it  into  a  series  of  clamp- 
moulds.  Each  set  of  moulds  are  then  taken  by  a  second  man  and 
plunged  into  cold  water.  The  hardened  ingots  are  next  dipped 


2/O  DIES.    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

into  muriatic  acid,  which  eats  away  all  particles  of  foreign  matter, 
after  which  they  are  placed  in  a  second  water  bath. 

All  ingots,  whether  gold  or  silver,  are  moulded  to  measure  a 
foot  in  length,  but  vary  up  to  one  and  one-half  inches  in  width 
and  thickness,  according  to  the  size  of  the  coin  to  be  struck  from 
them. 

Each  finished  ingot  comes  from  the  mould  with  a  blunt  end, 
this  resulting  from  the  end  of  the  mould  where  the  metal  was 
poured  in.  A  row  of  machines  shear  the  irregular  ends  off, 
after  which  the  bars  are  passed  to  bench  hands  who  file  off  the 
rough  edges. 

The  filings  are  caught  in  oilcloth-lined  boxes  and  carefully 
saved.  Next  the  ingots  are  sent  to  a  long  table,  where  they  are 
placed  side  by  side  in  a  row,  and  a  man  stamps  upon  each  a  num- 
ber, designating  its  melt. 

The  bars  now  pass  to  the  assayer,  who  compares  the  few  drops 
of  metal  taken  from  the  furnace  with  the  correspondingly  num- 
bered lot  of  the  finished  bars.  If  the  latter  falls  below  900  per 
cent,  fine,  it  must  be  remelted. 

The  ingots  which  have  passed  the  assayer  next  pass  into  the 
rolling  department  where  they  are  passed  between  massive  rollers 
fifteen  times,  reducing  them  until  they  are  twice  the  required 
thickness.  Before  reducing  them  further  they  must  be  annealed. 
For  this  purpose  a  large  annealing  and  tempering  furnace  is  pro- 
vided in  which  the  metal  bars  are  heated  to  a  cherry  red  and 
quenched  in  water.  They  are  then  put  through  another  series  of 
rolls  fifteen  times  before  being  reduced  to  the  proper  thickness, 
which,  of  course,  depends  upon  the  denomination  of  the  coin  to  be 
made  from  them.  The  metal  comes  from  this  last  rolling  opera- 
tion in  strips  varying  in  dimensions  up  to  six  feet  in  length,  four 
inches  wide  and  about  one-sixteenth  thick. 

The  flat  strips  of  gold  and  silver  are  now  fed  to  presses 
which  are  equipped  with  blanking  dies.  The  strips  are  fed  auto- 
matically and  the  finished  blanks  drop  out  at  the  bottom  into  a 
tray.  These  are  the  blanks  upon  which  the  final  designs  are  to 
be  embossed.  The  blanks  as  large  as  a  quarter  are  cut  in  a  single 
row  from  the  strip,  while  the  smaller  ones  are  cut  in  combinations 
of  two  and  three  by  gang  dies.  The  scrap  strips  are  returned  to 
the  melters. 

The  blanks  are  next  sent  to  the  cleaning  department,  after 
which  they  are  sent  to  the  automatic  weighing  machines.  On 


COINING    PROCESSES.  2/1 

each  of  these  machines  are  ten  upright  brass  tubes  into  which  the 
blanks  are  fed.  Beneath  the  tubes  is  a  long  sliding  bar  with  a 
reciprocating  motion,  each  move  of  which  pushes  off  ten  blanks 
into  a  small  basket  on  one  end  of  the  scale  beam.  The  blanks  are 
weighed  instantly  and  are  passed  through  a  series  of  troughs  lead- 
ing to  three  boxes.  The  light  blanks  fall  into  the  first  box,  the 
standard  ones  into  the  second,  and  the  heavy  ones  into  the  last 
box.  The  light  blanks  are  condemned  and  melted  over,  while 
those  which  are  over  weight  are  taken  to  the  adjusting  room. 
Here  over  100  women,  each  with  a  set  of  scales  and  files  before 
her,  are  employed  in  filing  the  edges  of  the  heavy  blanks  until  all 
are  down  to  the  standard,  size  and  weight. 

The  next  operation  through  which  the  blanks  are  passed  is  that 
of  milling.  The  milling  machines  put  on  the  flat  rim  or  raised 
edge  which  protects  the  face  of  the  coin  from  abrasion.  The 
milled  blanks  are  now  reheated  to  a  cherry  red  in  an  automatic 
annealing  furnace,  through  which  they  are  fed  and  at  last  droj> 
into  a  copper  collender,  then  lifted  by  a  crane  into  a  bath  of 
muriatic  acid,  are  revolved  in  this  bath  and  finally  dropped  into 
a  revolving  screen  filled  with  sawdust,  which  cleans  and  dr.ies 
them  thoroughly  and  makes  them  ready  for  coining. 

Against  the  wall  of  the  coining  room  there  are  twenty-four 
powerful  presses,  each  with  a  vertical  face  of  polished  steel 
forged  or  cast  in  the  shape  of  a  giant  letter  O.  At  the  front  is 
a  box  filled  with  shining  blanks  which  are  fed  to  the  machines 
by  women.  The  blanks  are  fed  beneath  the  punch  through  a 
tube,  a  pair  of  automatic  fingers  taking  the  lower  blank  and  plac- 
ing it  on  the  die.  The  bottom  and  top  of  the  blank  are  embossed 
at  the  one  stroke,  and  at  the  same  time  through  the  force  of  expan- 
sion, the  disk  of  metal  tightens  within  the  fluted  collar  in  the  die, 
thus  finishing  the  coin  with  the  fluted  edges.  Silver  dollars  and 
gold  coin  are  stamped  at  the  rate  of  85  per  minute,  quarters  and 
half-dollars,  90  per  minute,  nickels,  no  per  minute  and  cents  120 
per  minute. 

From  the  coining  room  the  finished  money  goes  to  the  proving 
department,  where  its  accuracy  is  again  tested.  It  is  then  ready 
for  the  counting  room. 

In  this  department  gold  coins,  silver  dollars  and  half  dollars 
are  all  counted  by  weight.  They  are  stacked  up  inside  steel 
frames  and  swept  off  into  the  pan  of  a  huge  pair  of  scales.  The 
quarters,  dimes,  nickels  and  cents  are  shuffled  over  large  flat  boards 


272 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


with  parallel  strips  of  brass  between  which  the  coins  fit  loosely. 
When  the  boards  are  filled  with  money,  they  are  tilted  until  the 
coins  flowing  over  them  fill  all  the  spaces  between  the  strips.  In 
this  way  $1,000  in  dimes  are  counted  on  a  single  board  every 
eighteen  seconds,  and  thrown  into  an  opening  at  the  front  of  the 
counters'  table.  Leaving  the  counters,  the  new  money  is  placed  in 
steel  strong  boxes  to  await  shipment. 

An  Embossing  Press  for  Work  Requiring  Heavy  Pressure. 
In  Fig.  375  is  shown  the  type  of  press  used  for  embossing  sil- 


FIG.  375. — AN   EMBOSSING   PRESS   FOR    COINING, 


COINING    PROCESSES.  2/3 

ver,  britannia,  brass,  copper,  etc.,  in  the  manufacture  of  medals, 
coin,  regalia,  jewelry,  watches,  silverware,  etc. 

The  die  is  fastened  to  a  slide  which  is  actuated  from  below  by 
means  of  powerful  toggles.  These  toggles  are  made  of  steel 
castings,  having  hardened  steel  pieces  set  in  at  the  seats  and  joints. 
Adjustment  of  pressure  and  die  space  is  effected  by  means  of 
steel  wedges  between  the  punch  holder  and  frame. 

This  machine  embodies  several  novel  features.  In  order  to 
withstand  the  tensile  strain  of  350  tons,  which  it  is  designed  to 
exert  on  the  work,  the  body  is  made  of  a  solid  wrought-iron  forg- 
ing, the  center  of  which  is  slotted  to  admit  the  working  parts. 
The  mandrel  on  which  the  lower  dial  rests  is  made  of  steel  and 
is  operated  by  toggle  joints  or  links  made  of  tool  steel  hardened 
and  ground. 

In  order  to  obtain  the  necessary  adjustment  of  the  dies  to  regu- 
late the  pressure,  a  steel  shoe  is  provided  above  the  mandrel,  to 
which  the  upper  die  is  attached.  This  shoe  is  held  up  in  place 
by  four  rods  passing,  up  to  a  yoke  at  the  top,  and  the  weight  is 
supported  by  four  large  compression  springs.  The  upper  side  of 
the  shoe  is  made  slightly  inclined,  and  a  steel  wedge  inserted  be- 
tween it  and  the  bearing  in  the  frame.  The  position  of  the  wedge 
is  adjusted  by  means  of  a  screw  which  passes  through  the  side 
of  the  housing,  and  which  is  operated  by  the  hand  wheel  shown. 

Punching  Tools  for  Heavy  Work: 

Fig.  376  shows  a  set  of  punching  tools  for  punching  holes  in 
heavy  stock,  and  Fig.  377  the  manner  in  which  they  are  located 
and  used  in  a  large  punch  press.  The  set  of  tools  consist  of  die 
block,  die  holder,  die,  edge  gage,  pull  off  or  stripper,  punch  and 
punch  holder.  The  die  block  bolts  on  the  lower  jaw  to  receive  the 
die  holder  and  die,  and  the  die  holder  is  made  to  fit  the  die  block 
and  bored  to  fit  the  various  sizes  of  small  dies.  When  the  die  is 
small  it  is  made  circular  in  form  to  fit  the  die  holder,  but  if  it 
is  large,  it  should  be  made  to  the  shape  of  the  die  holder  to  fit 
directly  into  the  block.  The  punch  holder  has  a  square  shank  and 
fits  into  the  ram  of  the  press  and  is  bored  to  fit  the  shanks  of  the 
small  punches.  When  the  punches  are  large  they  should  be  made 
with  the  shank  to  fit  directly  into  the  ram  of  the  press.  The 
edge  gage  bolts  to  the  frame  of  the  press  and  its  edge  serves  as  a 
gage  for  the  edge  of  the  piece  to  be  punched.  The  stripper  or  pull 
off  is  a  pivoted  lever  whose  forward  end  straddles  the  punch  and 


2/4 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


strips  the  sheet  as  the  punch  rises ;  it  is  adjustable  up  and  down  by 
means  of  a  pin  at  the  rear  end  of  the  lever,  so  as  to  accommo- 
date different  thicknesses  of  metal.  The  Kennedy  and  Richards 
patent  punches  are  often  used  in  place  of  ordinary  tools  described 


FIG.  376.— SET  OP  PUNCHING  TOOLS.  FIG.  377.— TOOLS  IN  PRESS. 


FIG.  378. — PUNCHED,    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR  HEAVY  STOCK. 


C'( )  I  M  XG    PROCESSES. 


275 


2/6  DIES,,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

above.  Fig.  378  shows  a  collection  of  punches  and  dies  used  for 
piercing  heavy  stock.  As  shown  the  punches  have  pointed  centers 
to  locate  the  stock  properly  by  the  center  punch  marks  which  have 
been  previously  laid  out  on  the  sheet  to  be  punched.  The  holders 
for  the  punches  require  no  description  as  the  illustrations  show  all 
clearly. 

Double  Crank  Presses  for  Operating  Large  Cutting  and  Forming 

Dies. 

For  operating  large  cutting  and  forming  dies,  or  gangs  of 
punches  and  dies  extending  over  a  large  area,  double  crank 
presses  are  decidedly  preferable  to  the  ordinary  ''single  crank"' 
type.  The  two  pitmans  are  so  connected  that  they  are  always 
adjusted  simultaneously,  thus  enabling  the  operator  to  quickly 
raise  and  lower  the  slide  to  suit  the  thickness  of  dies  without 
any  danger  of  getting  the  guides  out  of  alignment. 

For  heavy  cutting  and  forming  it  is  best  to  use  these  presses 
with  back  gearing,  as  shown  in  Fig.  379.  In  connection  with 
such  large  presses  an  automatic  friction  clutch  will  be  found  to 
give  the  best  results,  as  it  obviates  the  difficulties  experienced  with 
other  types  of  clutches  in  presses  of  this  class  when  used  for  cer- 
tain kinds  of  work.  The  action  of  such  a  clutch  is  practically  in- 
stantaneous, and  it  avoids  entirely  the  severe  shock  which  tends  to 
destroy  the  clutch  parts  and  sometimes  causes  expensive  delays 
and  repairs.  In  the  press  shown  in  Fig.  379  the  larger  gear  wh  _>el 
instead  of  revolving  continually,  is1  at  a  standstill  until  the  clutch 
is  brought  into  action.  This  constitutes  an  additional  advantage 
in  the  saving  of  considerable  wear,  and  avoids  the  necessity  of  a 
brake  on  the  crank  shaft.  The  clutch  is  also  operated  by  means 
of  a  hand-lever  in  such  a  way  that  the  operator  can  stop  and  start 
the  slide  instantaneously  at  any  point.  This  facilitates  to  a  very 
large  extent  the  setting  of  the  dies. 

These  double  crank  presses  are  used  extensively  in  the  manu- 
facture of  sheet-iron  and  steel  goods,  such  as  vapor  stoves,  wrought 
iron  ranges,  shingles,  paneled  ceiling  and  siding  for  buildings,  cor- 
nice work,  stove  boards,  drip  pans,  armature  discs  and  seg- 
ments, etc.,  and  for  operating  gangs  of  punches  for  rivet  holes  in 
tanks,  water  pipes,  gasometers,  kitchen  boilers,  etc.  They  are  also 
often  arranged  and  used  for  forging  purposes  in  the  manufacture 
of  hammers  and  similar  articles  requiring  a  series  of  dies  set 
side  by  side.  When  intended  for  punching  holes  in  long  strips  of 


COINING    PROCESSES. 


277 


metal,  openings  are  cored  in  the  uprights.  The  crosshcad  is 
guided  in  long,  adjustable  bearings,  so  that  cutting  and  perforating 
dies,  as  well  as  others  requiring  great  accuracy  in  movement,  iray 
be  operated. 

Heavy  Notching  Press   With  Punch  and  Die  in  Position. 
The  press  shown  in  Fig.  380  with  punch  and  die  in  position  is 


FIG.  380. — HEAVY   NOTCHING   PRESS   AND   DIES. 


used  for  heavy  bridge  and  structural  iron  work.  The  press  is 
motor  driven  and  is  a  very  powerful  machine.  The  die  is  made 
in  sections  and  the  parts  are  located  and  fastened  within  a  die 
block  as  shown.  The  punch  face  is  sheared  so  as  to  begin  to  cut 


278 


fixES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.  381. — HEAVY   DISC    PUNCHING   PRESS  AND   DIES. 


FIG.   382. — STEAM   DRIVEN   MULTIPLE    PUNCH   AND   DIES. 


COINING    PROCESSES.  279 

at  the  edge  of  the  sheet  or  beam  and  progressively  punch  out  the 
section. 

Hcaiy  Disc  Punching. 

In  Fig.  381  are  shown  a  press  and  set  of  dies  for  punching 
discs  26  inches  in  diameter  from  3-16  high  carbon  steel.  As 
shown,  the  die  is  made  in  segments,  each  section  having  a  curved 
shearing  edge  so  as  to  make  the  punching  out  of  the  discs  pro- 
gressive and  thereby  reducing  the  strain  on  the  press.  The  sec- 
tions of  the  die  are  located  and  fastened  within  a  holder.  The 
punch  and  die  holders  used  in  a  press  of  this  type  should  be  made 
so  as  to  receive  tools  for  discs  of  smaller  diameters  also.  There  u 
an  automatic  stop  on  this  machine  that  arrests  the  slide  at  any 
point  of  the  stroke. 

S team-Driven  Multiple  Punches. 

The  illustration,  Fig.  382,  is  of  a  double-geared,  steam-driven 
punch  press  measuring  10  feet  between  housings,  with  throat  6 
inches  deep.  It  has  a  side  stand  with  outboard  bearings  for  cam 
and  countershafts,  and  is  equipped  with  dies  for  punching  one 
hundred  and  twenty  ^8  inch  holes,  one  inch  between  centers,  in  a 
54  inch  plate.  There  is  a  pressure  plate  over  the  punches,  made 
in  removable  sections  so  that  a  single  punch  can  be  taken  out  for 
repair,  etc.,  without  disturbing  any  of  the  others.  This  machine 
has  also  a  slide  adjustment  which  is  furnished  to  overcome  the 
shortening  of  the  punch  caused  by  wear,  and  an  automatic  stop 
which  causes  the  slide  to  stop  at  the  completion  of  each  stroke. 
The  hold-down  is  automatic  and,  after  stripping,  rises  to  give 
plenty  of  room  for  the  insertion  of  the  plate. 

Fig"-    383    illustrates   another   double-geared   multiple   punch, 

(104  inches  between  housings,  equipped  with  dies  to  punch  all  of 
the  64  holes  in  the  tire  of  a  steel  harvester  wheel  9  feet  6  inches 
long  at  a  single  stroke  of  the  press.  This  machine  has  a  center 
bearing  for  the  cam  shaft,  and  side  clamping  device  for  centering- 
the  strip  by  hand  before  punching  them.  It  has  slide  adjustment 
which  raises  and  lowers  the  slide  to  make  up  for  the  wearing- 
down  of  the  punches,  and  an  automatic  stop  which  arrests  the 
slide  at  the  top  of  the  stroke  with  the  punches  and  dies  open  to  re- 
ceive the  work  for  the  next  operation.  Machines  of  this  type  are 
made  heavier  and  lighter,  belt,  steam  and  electrically  driven,  and 
any  width  between  housings  with  a  throat  depth  to  suit  require- 
ments. 


280 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.  383. — MULTIPLE    PUNCH    PRESS   EQUIPPED   FOR 
PUNCHING  64  HOLES. 


FIG.   384. — MULTIPLE    PUNCH    WITH   SPACING   TABLE   AND    DIES. 


COINING    PROCESSES. 


28l 


Multiple  Punch   With   Hand-Feed  Spacing  Table. 

The  illustration,  Fig.  384,  represents  a  powerful  machine  ca- 
pable of  punching  twenty-six  l/2  inch  holes  through  l/^  inch  plate 
at  each  stroke  of  the  slide.  Owing  to  length  of  the  feed  required, 
the  table  is  moved  by  hand,  the  distance  between  centers  of  end 
holes  being  70  inches.  As  shown  the  punches  and  dies  are  fitted 
to  holders  which  allow  of  their  being  quickly  changed  or  removed. 

Heavy  Beam  Punching. 
In  Fig.  385  is  shown  a  heavy  steam-driven  machine  fitted  with 


FIG.  385. — HEAVY    BEAM    PUNCHING    PRESS,    TWO  I  I-l6  HOI.ES. 

tools  to  punch  two  I  1-16  inch  holes  in  the  flanges  of  a  15  inch  I 
"beam  or  do  any  lighter  work.  The  punches  and  dies  are  adjust- 
able so  that  holes  may  be  punched  opposite  each  other,  or  stag- 
gered, one  in  each  flange  or  both  in  line  in  trie  same  flange.  The 
machine  is  under  perfect  control  of  the  treadle,  has  adjustable 
rollers  to  support  the  beams,  and  is  provided  with  automatic  stop 
.so  that  the  operator  can  arrest  the  slide  at  any  point  in  the  stroke. 
The  machine  shown  in  Fig.  386  is  of  the  same  type  as  the  other 
•except  it  is  for  heavier  work.  It  is  equipped  to  punch  two  !]/> 
inch  holes  in  the  flanges  of  a  30  inch  bulb-beam  at  one  stroke,  or 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.  386.— BEAM  PUNCHING  PRESS  EQUIPPED  WITH  TOOLS  FOR 
PUNCHING  TWO  I^-INCH  HOLES  IN  THE  FLANGES  OF  A  3O-INCH 
BULB-BEAM  AT  ONE  STROKE. 


COINING    PROCESSES. 

do  any  lighter  work.  The  adjustable  roller  frames  that  support 
the  work  swing  aside  and  leave  the  opening  in  the  lower  jaw  en- 
tirely clear.  The  punches  and  dies  are  adjustable  in  two  direc- 
tions. 

Fig.  387  shows  another  heavy  machine  equipped  with  punches 
and  dies  for  punching  two  holes  in  flanges  or  six  holes  in  the  web 
of  a  24  inch  I  beam.  The  punch  holders  and  die  holders  are  ad- 
justable., the  minimum  distance  between  centers  of  the  outside 
holes  being  2^/2  inches  and  the  maximum  distance  being  38  inches. 
Each  punch  is  provided  with  a  gag  so  that  it  can  be  made  inop- 


FIG.  387. — BEAM   PUNCHING   PRESS,    DIES  FOR  SIX   HOLES. 

erative,  if  desired,  and  does  not  have  to  be  withdrawn  in  changing* 
from  flange  punching  to  web  punching. 

The  machine  shown  in  Fig.  388  is  equipped  to  punch  one  or 
more  holes  in  the  flanges  and  the  web  Of  I  beams,  channels,  angles, 
Z-bars  or  plates,  with  15  inch  throat.  The  punches  are  provided 
with  gags  or  receding  sockets  so  that  they  can  be  made  inoper- 
ative if  desired.  The  spacing  is  perfectly  controlled  by  levers  and 
can  be  instantly  changed  from  zero  to  full  throw  by  simply  moving 
a  lever.  One  lever  adjusts  the  spacing  in  multiples  of  sixteenths 
and  the  other  in  multiples  of  ^  inch,  up  to  8  inches,  providing 
for  any  scheme  of  spacing  or  any  variation  in  spacing  on  the  same 


284 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


FIG.  388. — HEAVY  BEAM  PRESS  WITH  AUTOMATIC  SPACING  TABLE 
FOR  PUNCHING  ONE  OR  MORE  HOLES  IN  WEB  OR  I-BEAMS,  CHAN- 
NELS, ANGLES,  Z-BARS,  OR  PLATES. 


COINING    PROCESSES. 


work.  The  levers  lock  in  large  notches  and  do  not  require  delicate 
setting1.  The  table  is  provided  with  quick  return  power  movement, 
independent  of  the  feed,  for  shifting  it  back  and  forth.  An  auto- 
matic hold-down  and  slide  guide,  press  the  work  against  the 
gage. 

A  Beam-Coping  Machine  Equipped  With  Coping  Dies. 
The  machine  illustrated  in  Fig.  389  is  equipped  with  double 
coping  dies  so  that  beams  can  be  fed  from  either  side  and  have 
both  ends  coped  without  turning  them  around.     Punching  tools 


FIG.  389. — BEAM    COPING    PRESS    EQUIPPED    WITH    COPING   DIES. 

to  punch  the  flanges  and  web  of  the  beams  can  be  substituted  for 
the  coping  tools,  the  dies  being  high  and  narrow  to  make  room  for 
the  lower  flange  of  the  beam  and  get  close  into  the  corners.  This 
machine  is  used  to  cope  the  ends  of  24  inch  beams  or  punch  six 
y§  holes  in  the  web  or  two  I  inch  holes  in  the  flanges,  as  its 
heaviest  work.  As  shown,  the  machine  is  motor-driven. 

Heavy  punching  tools  and  machines,  such  as  are  shown  and  de- 
scribed in  this  chapter,  and  many  other  types  too  numerous  to- 
mention,  are  used  principally  by  boiler  makers,  bridge  builders, 
ship  builders,  and  structural  iron  work  concerns. 


CHAPTER  X. 

TEE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET    METAL    TO    DIES LUBRICATION    OF    PRESS 

WORK. 

Feeding  of  Stock  a  Factor  in  Production. 

In  the  production  of  parts  and  articles  irom  sheet  metal  by 
the  use  of  dies,  the  proper  feeding  of  the  stock  is  one  of  the  chief 
things  to  be  considered,  as  the  efficiency  of  the  finished  product 
and  the  cost  of  its  production  depends  greatly  upon  the  methods 
employed  for  this  part  of  the  work. 

Although  the  fact  is  well  known  that  sheet  metal  goods  manu- 
facturers strive  to  keep  the  cost  of  their  tool  equipment  down  to 
the  lowest  figure,  and  do  not  hasten  to  avail  themselves  of  the  many 
practical  devices  which  are  being  constantly  designed  to  assist  in 
the  cheap  and  rapid  production  of  sheet  metal  parts,  they  would 
find  that  by  installing  a  thoroughly  practical  system  of  feeding 
in  their  establishments,  the  safety  of  their  operators  would  be 
insured  and  their  profits  increased.  The  improvements  which 
have  been  made  during  the  last  few  years  in  devices  for  press 
feeding  are  indeed  wonderful,  and  we  feel  safe  in  stating  that 
there  is  not  a  sheet  metal  part  or  article  in  general  use  to-day  for 
which  some  one  of  the  large  establishments  devoted  to  the  manu- 
facture of  sheet-metal  working  machinery  cannot  provide  an 
automatic  feeding  device  to  assist  in  its  rapid  and  cheap  produc- 
tion. 

Hand-Feeding. 

The  most  common  and  by  far  the  oldest  method  of  feeding 
sheet  metal  to  dies  is  by  hand,  and  in  a  number  of  cases  it  is  the 
best.  When  the  metal  to  be  punched  comes  in  short  sheets  or 
strips,  or  where  scrap  stock  is  used,  it  should  be  fed  by  hand, 
feeding  between  a  pair  of  gage  plates,  or  a  single  one,  on  the  die, 
against  a  stop-pin,  as  shown  and  described  in  the  opening  chap- 
ters of  this  book.  But  wherever  the  nature  of  the  work  will  al- 
low an  automatic  feeding  device  actuated  by  the  stroke  of  the 
press  should  be  used.  In  the  following  pages  are  illustrated  and 
described  a  number  of  the  manv  different  kinds  of  automatic 


THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET    METAL    TO    DIES. 


287 


feeds  which  are  now  in  general  use  in  all  shops  where  the  maxi- 
mum production  from  the  minimum  of  labor  is  desired. 

Single  Roll  Feeding. 

When  large  quantities  of  pierced  blanks,  plain  blanks,  shallow 
drawn  or  formed  articles  which  can  be  produced  in  one  operation, 
or  other  work  of  a  like  character  are  required,  and  the  stock  from 


FIG.  390. — PUNCH  PRESS  WITH  SINGLE  ROLL  FEED  AT  SIDE,  FOR 
SMALL  BLANKING,  PIERCING  OR  BENDING  OPERATIONS. 

which  they  are  to  be  punched  can  be  had  in  long  strips  or  rolls,  a 
press  fitted  with  a  single  roll  feed  as  shown  in  Fig.  390  should  be 
used.  The  feeds  and  presses  are  to  be  had  in  a  number  of  differ- 
ent sizes  to  suit  the  size  and  shape  of  the  work,  and  the  feeds 


288 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION     AM)    USE. 


and  machines  are  made  in  different  styles,  so  as  to  feed  from 
front  to  back,  left  to  right,  or  the  reverse.  The  feeds  are  made 
with  various  size  rolls  with  automatic  release  action  for  the  upper 
roll,  and  with  hand  wheels  as  desired.  The  distance  which  the 


FIG.  391. — PERFORATING    PRESS    WITH   AUTOMATIC 
DOUBLE   ROLL    Ft ED. 

stock  can  be  fed  at  each  stroke  of  the  press  is  governed  by  the 
size  of  the  rolls  and  the  adjustment  of  the  feed  lever. 

Fig.  392  shows  a  different  style  of  single  roll  feed  and  its 
adaptation  and  location  on  a  larger  press  than  that  shown  in  Fig. 
390.  The  slide  of  this  press  is  provided  with  a  wedge  adjust- 
ment actuated  by  means  of  the  hand  wheel  in  front.  The  upper 


THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET    METAL    TO    DIES. 


289 


feed  roll  may  be  quickly  raised  by  means  of  an  eccentric  handle 
permitting-  the  strip  of  metal  to  be  accurately  placed,  released,  and 
readjusted  at  any  time.  The  pawl  operates  on  the  edge  of  a  tooth- 


FIG.   392.— POWER    PRESS   WITH   SINGLE   ROLL   FEED   AT   BACK. 


less  disk,  taking  its  "bite"  by  means  of  a  wedging  action,  which 
permits  of  easy  adjustment  and  fine  spacing.  A  machine  equipped 
with  a  feed  of  this  type  is  very  useful  for  bicycle  chain  work, 


29O  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

clock  and  watch  parts,  Yale  key  blanks,  and  many  other  articles  of 
a  like  nature. 

A  Double  Roll  Feed  for  Perforated  Metal  Sheets. 

The  double  roll  feed  shown  in  position  on  the  press  in  Fig.  391 
is  of  the  type  most  generally  used  for  feeding  sheets  of  metal 
which  are  to  be  perforated  in  regular  patterns  by  means  of  a  single 
row  of  dies,  or  in  staggered  patterns  by  means  of  a  double  row  of 
<lies.  As  shown,  the  press  is  built  specially  for  this  feeding  de- 
vice, and  as  equipped  has  been  adopted  extensively  on  account  of 
its  speed  of  production,  the  accuracy  of  its  work,  and  the  ease 
with  which  the  dies  and  punches  may  be  removed  or  adjusted.  It 
may  be  run  at  from  70  to  100  strokes  a  minute,  according  to  the 
class  of  work  done,  and  feeding  the  metal  through  the  rolls  will 
punch  a  double  row  of  holes  at  each  stroke  across  a  14  inch  sheet. 

The  roll  housings  are  hinged,  and  each  set  of  rolls  has  a  hand- 
wheel  for  quickly  adjusting  the  sheet  at  the  start,  or  removing  at 
the  end.  The  rolls  are  actuated  by  a  lever  connected  at  the  side 
of  the  press,  one  end  to  one  of  the  lower  feed  roll  ends,  and  the 
other  to  an  adjustable  stud  in  a  T  slot  in  the  end  of  the  press 
crank  shaft. 

Feeding  Partly  Finished  Small  Parts  and  Articles.    . 

Fig.  393  illustrates  a  method  of  feeding  parts  and  articles  of 
small  size  beneath  punches.  It  is  used  when  adapted  to  a  press 
as  shown  for  letter  stamping  or  reshaping  blanks  and  shells  in 
the  manufacture  of  tin  bottle-capsules,  burner  parts,  tin  box  cov- 
ers, and  many  other  articles.  In  this  device  the  die  is  fastened  to 
a  sliding  piece,  which  receives  its  motion  through  a  cam  on  the 
shaft  in  such  a  manner  as  to  stand  still  while  the  punch  is  doing 
its  work,  after  which  the  slide  travels  forward  toward  the  oper- 
ator, who  removes  the  finished  piece  and  locates  a  new  one  with- 
out endangering  his  hands  by  getting  them  between  the  punch 
and  die.  With  a  device  of  this  type  adapted  to  the  press  as  shown, 
a  good  operator  will  do  from  50  to  100  pieces  of  work  per  minute 
according  to  the  style  of  the  work. 

Tube  Feeding  of  Parts  Which  Have  Been  Previously  Punched. 

The  stamping,  lettering  or  other  die  work  on  small  blanks 
which  have  been  previously  punched,  such  as  bicycle  chain  links, 
buttons,  clock  and  lock  parts,  metal  novelties,  etc.,  can  be  best  ac- 


THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET     METAL    TO    DIES. 


291 


complishecl  by  means  of  a  tube  feed  of  the  type  shown  on  the 
press  in  Fig.  394.  These  devices  are  built  to  feed  front  to  back, 
or  left  to  right,  or  the  other  way,  as  desired.  The  blanks  are  put 
into  a  tubular  holder  from  which  an  automatically  actuated  slide 
takes  them  one  by  one,  conveying  them  into  the  die  at  the  rate  of 


PIG.  393.— PRESS   WITH    CAM-ACTUATED 
DIE  SLIDE. 


FIG.  394. — PRESS   WITH   TUBE 
FEED. 


100  to  150  per  minute.  In  some  cases  it  becomes  necessary  to 
add  a  cam-actuated  stop-gage  to  insure  feeding  the  blank  to  the 
accurate  position.  This  stop-gage  is  constructed  similar  to  the 
finger-gage  shown  in  Chapter  I.  The  tube  feed  may  be  easily  re- 
moved and  a  single  or  double  roll  feed  such  as  are  shown  in  Figs. 
390  and  391  substituted. 


292 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


Double  Roll  Feeding  for  Producing  Small  Pierced  Blanks  from 

Strip. 

The  double  roll  feed  shown  on  the  press,  Fig.  395,  is  specially 
adapted  for  such  work  as  piercing  bicycle  chain  links,  washers, 
watch,  clock  and  lock  parts,  and  man}-  other  pieces  used  in  the 


FIG.  395. — PUNCH  PRESS  WITH  STAY  RODS,  DOUBLE  ROLL  FEED 
AND  DIES  FOR  PRODUCING  SMALL  PIERCED  BLANKS  FROM 
THE  STRIP. 

manufacture  of  hardware,  lamps,  electric  apparatus,  etc.  The  die 
first  pierces  the  holes  and  then  cuts  the  blanks,  producing  from 
100  to  150  pieces  per  minute.  On  each  stroke  of  the  press,  at 
the  moment  when  the  pilot  pins  located  in  the  blanking  punch  are 


THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET     METAL    TO    DIES. 


293 


about  to  enter  the  pierced  holes,  the  upper  rolls  are  automatically 
raised  so  as  to  release  the  strip  and  permit  the  pilot  pins  to  shift 
it  into  the  correct  position,  correcting  any  "slip"  which  may  have 
occurred  in  feeding,  and  thereby  overcoming  the  multiplication  of 
error.  By  means  of  the  hand  wheels  shown,  the  strip  may  be 


FIG.  396. — PRESS  EQUIPPED  WITH  DOUBLE  ROLL  AND  LATERAL 
FEEDS,  AND  DIES  FOR  EMBOSSING,  BLANKING  AND  FORMING 
TIN  STAPLES  OR  TAGS  FROM  STRIPS  OF  TIN. 

quickly  fed  to  the  starting  position  and  the  last  end  quickly  re- 
moved. 

Double  Roll  and  Lateral  Feeds. 

The  half-tone  Fig.  396  represents  a  press  as  equipped  with  a 
double  roll  feed  and  lateral  feed,  with  dies  for  embossing,  blank- 
ing and  forming  tin  staples  or  tags  from  strips  of  thin  metal. 


294 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


It  illustrates  a  method  of  combining  feeds  for  automatically 
perforating,  embossing  or  lettering,  blanking  and  forming  mis- 
cellaneous small  tin  and  brass  goods ;  it  requires  no  description 
as  its  action  is  similar  to  the  one  shown  in  Fig.  395. 

Double  Roll  Feed  innth  Automatic  Release. 
A  method  of  double  roll   feeding  adapted  for  double-acting 


FIG.  397. — DOUBLE  ACTION  PRESS  WITH  DOUBLE  ROLL  FEED 
AND  AUTOMATIC  ROLL  RELEASE. 

presses  for  the  rapid  production  of  shells  which  are  cut  and 
drawn  from  the  strip  in  "push-through"  dies  is  shown  in  Fig. 
397.  From  60  to  150  shells  per  minute  may  be  produced  by 


THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET    METAL    TO    DIES. 


295 


O    O 


7  2 


E  1 

W 
A 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

this  method,  according  to  the  size  and  shape  of  shell.  The  roll 
feed  is  easily  adjusted  to  different  sizes  of  blanks.  Both  of  the 
upper  feeding  rolls  are  provided  with  automatic  cam-lifting  de- 
vices, with  hand  levers,  permitting  of  opening  the  rolls  at  any 
time  or  readjusting  the  strip.  For  metal  shells  (burners,  fer- 
rules, umbrella  trimmings,  thimbles,  tin  goods,  etc.)  it  can  be 
adapted  to  the  best  advantage. 

Dial  Feeds. 

Dial  feeds  are  used  for  a  variety  of  work,  the  smaller  sizes, 
such  as  are  shown  in  Figs.  398  to  400  adapted  to  small  bench 
presses,  being  used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  buttons, 
small  burner  parts,  umbrella  trimmings,  and  other  light  staple 
articles.  In  many  cases  two  or  three  punches  and  dies  can  be 
made  to  act  simultaneously,  performing  one  after  another  the 
necessary  operations,  either  in  the  finishing  of  one  part  or  article, 
or  in  the  assembling  of  two  or  more  parts  of  an  article,  thus 
doubling  or  trebling  the  efficiency  of  the  machine.  Dial  feeds 
of  this  kind  are  also  used  for  holding  large  blanks  such  as  arma- 
tr.re  disks,  rotating  the  blank  successively  at  each  stroke  of  the 
press.  The  same  style  of  feed  fitted  with  locating  sockets  to 
hold  and  carry  the  work  is  shown  adapted  to  a  larger  press  in 
Fig.  401.  As  shown,  the  press  is  fitted  with  tools  for  performing 
the  two  burner  operations  shown  in  Figs.  2  and  3.  The  shell 
as  fed  and  located  to  the  sockets  in  the  dial  plate  is  shown  in  Fig. 
i,  it  being  fed  around  until  it  has  been  worked  upon  by  the 
punches. 

Dial  feeds  of  various  kinds  may  be  applied  to  nearly  all 
power  presses,  as  they  can  be  used  for  automatically  carrying 
blanks,  shells,  cups,  etc.,  between  punch  and  die  to  receive  a 
second  operation.  They  are  largely  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
brass  goods,  trimmings,  buttons,  cartridge  and  primer  shells, 
tubes  for  pen  holders  and  pencil  cases,  and  many  other  special- 
ties. Two  essentially  different  styles  of  dial  feeds  are  in  general 
use — the  "friction  dial  feed"  and  the  "ratchet  dial  feed." 

The  Friction  Dial  Feed. 

The  friction  dial  feed  consists  of  a  smooth  circular  disk, 
which  revolves  continuously,  in  combination  with  stationary 
gages  above  it,  so  that  the  pieces  placed  on  the  disk  are  led 
accurately  under  the  punch.  In  order  to  insure  reliable  action 


THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET    METAL    TO    DIES. 


397 


In  most  cases  a  finger  or  gripping  movement  is  attached  to  the 
feed,  which  places  and  holds  the  piece  in  the  exact  position  when 
ready  for  the  descending  punch.  The  friction  dial  feed  is  best 
for  redrawing  short  shells  or  pieces  which  are  not  liable  to  topple 

over. 

The  Ratchet  Dial  Feed. 

The  ratchet  dial  feed  consists  of  a  circular  plate  which  con- 
nects with  the  main  shaft  through  the  medium  of  cams  or  pawls, 
so  as  to  receive  an  intermittent  rotary  motion.  This  disk  is  pro- 


FIG.    401. — PRESS    WITH    AUTOMATIC    DIAL    FEED,    FITTED    WITH    DIES 
FOR  OPERATIONS   2   AND   3    ON   BURNER  SHELL,    FIG.   I. 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

vided  with  a  number  of  holes  to  receive  either  the  work  or  the 
dies.  By  the  use  of  a  ratchet  dial  feed  it  is  often  possible,  in 
many  cases,  to  submit  the  pieces  to  two  or  three  consecutive 
operations  without  rehandling.  The  feeds  shown  in  Figs.  398- 
to  401  are  ratchet  dial  feeds. 


FIG.  402. — GEARED    PUNCH    PRESS   EQUIPPED   WITH   FIVE   SEPARATELY 
,  ADJUSTABLE       PUNCH       CARRIERS       AND        AUTOMATIC        FEEDING 
DEVICE. 


Burner  shell  finished  on  four-punch  machine.    First  operation,  Fig.  1,  made  in 
combination  die. 


THE  FEEDING  OF  SHEET   METAL  TO  DIES.  299 


A  Press  with  Adjustable  Punch  Carriers  and  an  Automatic 
Friction  Dial  Feeding  Device. 

The  press  illustrated  in  Fig.  402  is  equipped  to  produce  with 
great  speed  and  economy  such  articles  as  lamp  burners,  stove 
trimmings,  harness  oil  can  tops,  small  coffee  and  teapot  covers, 
lantern  parts  and  other  similar  articles  made  in  large  quantities, 
which  require  a  series  of  operations  after  the  first  cup  or  shell 
has  been  produced  in  a  combination  or  drawing  die. 

The  first  operation  shells  are  placed  on  the  friction  dial, 
whence  they  are  carried  automatically  by  the  reciprocating  mo- 
tion or  feed  from  one  to  another  of  the  several  dies,  then  auto- 
matically discharged. 

In  a  press  arranged  as  this  one  is  all  dies  operate  simultan- 
eously, and  as  the  press. may  be  run  at  a  speed  of  40  to  60  strokes 
per  minute  (according  to  the  size  and  shape  of  the  shells)  its 
output  of  200  to  300  operations  per  minute  is  equivalent  to  the 
work  of  10  to  20  single  slide  presses  fed  by  hand.  As  the  press 
may  be  fed  by  an  inexpensive  operator  and  there  is  no  inter- 
mediate handling,  the  amount  of  labor  and  shop  room  saved,  as 
well  as  the  entire  absence  of  danger  to  the  hands  of  the  operator, 
are  items  of  very  great  importance  to  manufacturers.  « 

Presses  of  this  type  are  regularly  built  with  four  or  five  punch 
carriers,  but  where  an  additional  number  of  operations  are  re- 
quired they  are  built  wider  and  additional  punch  carriers  pro- 
vided. Such  dies  as  are  used  for  cutting,  forming,  perforating, 
lettering  and  flanging  may  be  operated  in  these  presses.  The 
number  of  operations  that  may  be  performed  is  limited  to  the 
number  that  can  be  done  without  annealing  the  shells  or  parts. 
Shells  requiring  a  less  number  of  operations  than  there  are  punch 
carriers  in  the  press  may  be  handled  just  as  readily  as  though 
the  full  number  of  dies  permissible  were  being  operated. 

The  press  shown  in  Fig.  403  is  equipped  with  a  different 
style  of  dial  feed,  and  is  used  extensively  for  redrawing  tinfoil 
bottle  caps,  caster  parts,  burner  shells  and  other  articles  which 
have  been  cut  and  drawn.  As  equipped  it  will  redraw  from  50  to 
70  shells  per  minute,  according  to  the  skill  and  diligence  of  the 
operator.  The  blank-holder  slide  is  actuated  on  the  down  stroke  by 
the  two  cams  shown,  and  is  raised  by  a  powerful  spring  with  lever 
attached  to  the  back  of  the  slide  and  not  shown  in  the  illustration. 


300 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


The   dial    feed   and   bottom   knock-out   attachment   are   operated 
from  cams  on  the  outer  end  of  the  shaft. 

A  dial  feed  as  used  for  work  requiring  heavy  pressure,  such 
as  embossed  buttons,  stem-winder  knobs,  clock-axle  bearings  or 
bushings,  etc.,  and  adapted  to  a  press  with  a  cam-actuated  knock- 


T1G.    403. — DOUBLE    ACTING    REDUCING    PRESS,    WITH   DIAL   FEED   AXD 
KNOCK-OUT   ATTACHMENT   FOR    DRAWN    WORK. 

out  for  punch  and  die,  and  a  safety  stop  attachment,  is  shown  in 
Fig.  404. 

A  Double-Action  Gang  Press  with  Special  Automatic  Feed. 
The  machine  shown  in  Fig.  405  is  designed  for  cutting,  draw- 


THE    FEEDING    OF    SHEET    METAL    TO    DIES. 


3or 


ing  and  stamping  a  considerable  number  of  small  shells  at  each 
stroke.  It  works  with  great  speed,  and  effects  a  considerable 
saving  of  stock,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  scrap  sheet  shown  on 


FIG.  404. — PRESS  WITH  AUTOMATIC  DIAL  FEED,  CAM-ACTUATED- 
KNOCKOUT  FOR  PUNCH  AND  DIE,  AND  SAFETY  STOP  ATTACH- 
MENT. 

the  floor  at  the  left  of  the  press.  It  is  arranged  with  a  special 
automatic  feeding  device,  as  shown,  and  carries  14  sets  of  double- 
action  dies,  and  will  produce  nearly  1,000  shells  per  minute.  It 


302 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


may  also  be  arranged  for  more  or  fewer  dies  according  to  what 
width  of  sheet,  the  size  of  the  article,  or  other  special  conditions 
mav  call  for. 


FIG.  405. — "BLISS"  PATENT  TOGGLE-DRAWING  PRESS  EQUIPPED  WITH 
A  GANG  OF  DOUBLE-ACTING  DIES,  PRODUCING  14  SHALLOW  SHELLS 
AT  EACH  STROKE  AT  THE  RATE  OF  70  STROKES  A  MINUTE. 


A  number  of  other  methods  of  feeding  sheet  metal  to  dies 
are  shown  in  connection  with  the  dies  and  presses  for  various 
kinds  of  work  in  other  parts  of  this  book. 


THE   FEEDING  OF  SHEET    METAL  TO  DIES.  303 

Lubricants  to  Use  in  the  Working  of  Sheet  Metal. 

All  dies  will  be  found  to  work  better,  last  longer  and  produce 
"better  results  if  a  proper  lubricant  is  used,  and  in  the  following 
we  give  a  list  of  the  kinds  which  have  proved  the  best  for  the 
work  mentioned.  When  punching  iron,  steel,  copper  or  German 
silver,  a  thin  coating  of  lard  oil  or  sperm  oil  should  be  spread 
over  the  strips  or  sheets  before  punching.  A  good  way  to  do 
this  evenly  is  to  coat  one  sheet  thickly  and  feed  it  through  a  pair 
of  rolls,  thus  the  oil  will  spread  over  the  sheet  and  coat  the  rolls 
and  a  number  of  other  sheets  may  be  run  through  the  rolls  and 
coated  evenly.  For  drawn  work  this  matter  of  coating  the  sheets 
(before  blanking  and  drawing  the  shells)  will  be  found  the  best, 
as  the  coating  of  oil  on  the  sheets  or  strips  of  metal  will  be  very 
thin  and  it  will  not  be  found  necessary  to  clean  the  shells  after- 
ward, as  the  oil  will  have  disappeared  during  the  process  of 
drawing.  When  the  oil  is  applied  with  a  brush  or  pad  the  coat- 
ing will  be  so  thick  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  clean  the  articles 
produced.  In  the  drawing  of  steel  shells  a  thin  mixture  of 
grease  and  white  lead  will  give  the  best  results.  For  working 
sheet  brass  or  other  soft  metals  (except  in  drawing  operations) 
soap  water  should  be  used,  allowing  the  strip  or  sheet  to  run 
through  a  tank  filled  with  the  solution  as  it  is  fed  to  the  dies. 
For  zinc,  soap  suds  heated  to  a  boiling  point  and  applied  as  the 
metal  is  fed  to  the  dies  will  allow  of  the  best  results  being  at- 
tained. For  cutting  aluminum  use  kerosene  oil  as  a  lubricant, 
for  drawing  it  use  vaseline. 

Although  very  often  dies  are  used  to  punch  sheet  metal  with- 
cut  applying  a  lubricant  to  the  stock,  and  good  results  are 
attained,  it  will  be  found  that  where  a  lubricant  is  always  used 
on  all  classes  of  sheet  metal  work  the  tools  will  last  longer,  the 
results  will  be  better  and  there  will  be  very  little  breakage. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ANNEALING    TOOL    STEEL    AND    HARDENING    AND    TEMPERING    PRO- 
CESSES  EOR  PRESS   TOOLS,   INCLUDING    HINTS  AND   SUG- 
GESTIONS   ON    THE    USE    OF    FILES. 

Annealing  Defined. 

Metals  are  annealed  by  being  slowly  cooled  from  a  high  tem- 
perature. Annealing  generally  increases  the  flexibility,  softness 
and  ductility  of  bodies.  When  metals  have  become  brittle  through 
excess  of  strain  in  rolling,  drawing,  twisting,  hammering,  or 
other  mechanical  means,  their  properties  may  be  restored  by 
annealing. 

Hardening  Defined. 

£> 

Steel  and  a  number  of  other  metals,  if  cooled  suddenly  after 
having  been  strongly  heated,  become  harder,  more  brittle  and 
more  elastic  than  before.  If  tool  steel  is  heated  to  a  white  heat 
and  then  plunged  into  a  bath  of  cold  water  or  mercury,  it  will 
become  almost  as  hard  as  a  diamond,  very  elastic ;  and  so  brittle 
that  it  can  be  used  only  for  drilling  tempered  steel  or  chilled 
iron,  for  coining  and  engraving  dies,  and  for  .the  hardest  kind  of 
files. 

Tempering  Defined. 

Steel  may  be  worked  to  any  shape  required  in  the  arts  when 
it  is  in  its  softened  condition.  It  is  then  strongly  heated  and 
suddenly  cooled,  and  as  this  hardening  process  renders  it  too 
brittle  for  ordinary  purposes,  something  of  its  elasticity  is  sacri- 
ficed, and  a  portion  of  its  hardness  removed  by  reheating  tho 
steel  to  a  lower  temperature  and  cooling  it  gradually.  This, 
process  of  annealing  is  called  "drawing"  or  "tempering."  The 
temper  to  which  the  steel  is  drawn  depends  on  the  use  to  which 
it  is  to  be  put,  and  is  regulated  by  varying  the  temperature  of 
the  second  heating,  the  higher  the  degree  of  heat  the  softer  the 
steel. 

When  a  steel  article  has  been  hardened,  then  polished  or 
ground  and  reheated,  the  film  of  oxide  on  its  surface  becomes,  at 
a  temperature  of  428  deg.  F.,  of  a  light  straw  color,  then  through 


ANNEALING     TOOL     STEEL.  305 

intermediate  hues  to  a  violet  yellow  (509  deg.  F.),  blue  (560 
deg.  F.)  ;  at  977  deg.  F.  the  steel  passes  to  a  red  heat.  These 
colors  guide  the  workman  in  his  efforts  to  temper  the  tool  as 
required.  Light  yellow  is  the  temper  required  for  articles  or 
tools  requiring  a  keen  cutting  edge.  A  deeper  yellow  for  fine 
cutlery.  Violet  is  the  temper  required  for  table  knives,  requir- 
ing flexibility  more  than  a  hard  brittle  edge,  and  blue  for  all  tools 
or  articles  which  are  required  to  be  very  flexible. 

Heating  Steel. 

Never  heat  a  piece  of  steel,  which  it  is  desired  to  harden^ 
above  the  lowest  heat  at  which  it  will  harden,  and  the  larger  the 
piece  of  steel  the  more  time  required  to  heat  it  properly,  as  it 
will  have  to  be  higher  than  a  smaller  piece  of  the  same  steel,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  a  large  piece  of  steel  takes  longer  to 
cool  than  a  smaller  piece,  as  when  a  large  piece  of  steel  is  plunged 
into  the  bath  a  great  volume  of  steam  arises  and  blows  the  water 
away  from  it,  thus  necessitating  more  time  in  the  cooling.  Thus- 
when  the  tool  or  die  is  very  large  a  tank  should  be  used  to  harden 
it  in,  into  which  a  stream  of  cold  water  should  be  kept  constantly^ 
running,  as  otherwise  the  red-hot  tool  would  heat  the  water  to- 
such  a  degree  that  the  steel  would  remain  soft. 

Hardening  and  Tempering  Small  Tools. 

Very  small  tools  such  as  small  piercing  punches,  etc.,  should 
be  hardened  in  an  oil  bath  or  in  lukewarm  water,  as  if  cold  water 
is  used  they  will  cool  too  quickly  and  come  out  of  the  bath  cracked 
or  so  brittle  as  to  be  useless.  Never  heat  a  piece  of  steel  for 
hardening  hot  enough  as  to  raise  scale  on  it ;  even  when  it  is  a, 
very  large  piece  this  can  be  prevented  by  heating  very  slowly  in 
a  packing  box.  When  steel  has  been  heated  too  hot  and  then 
quenched  the  grain  is  rendered  coarse  and  brittle,  and  although 
it  may  be  drawn  to  the  desired  temper  it  will  break  quicker  than 
a  piece  which  has  been  hardened  at  a  very  low  heat  and  not  temp- 
ered at  all,  although  the  piece  which  was  heated  too  hot  and 
hardened  and  drawn  will  be  softer  than  the  other  piece. 

When  hardening  long,  flat  or  round  objects  they  should  be 
dipped  endwise,  holding  them  perpendicular  with  the  surface  of 
the  bath.  When  this  is  done  the  articles  will  come  out  perfectly- 
straight,  or  at  least  very  little  sprung.  When  dipped  otherwise 
such  tools  will  warp.  When  dipping  a  half-round  tool  dip  it 


306  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 


the  half-round  side  at  an  angle  of  twenty  degrees  with  the 
surface  of  the  water  and  it  will  come  out  either  almost  straight 
or  straight. 

To  draw  the  temper  on  small  tools  use  a  Bunsen  burner, 
holding  the  thickest  part  of  the  tool  which  does  not  require  tem- 
pering in  the  blue  flame,  and  as  the  steel  heats  wipe  it  often  with 
a  piece  of  oily  waste.  By  doing  this  the  temper  will  come  up 
even  and  will  not  draw  more  in  one  place  than  in  another.  Tem- 
per slowly  so  as  to  avoid  having  the  temper  start  to  run  before 
you  are  aware  of  it. 

Hardness  and  Toughness  in  Steel 

Although  few  mechanics  seem  to  be  aware  of  it,  there  is  con- 
siderable difference  between  steel  which  is  hard  and  steel  which 
is  both  hard  and  tough,  i.  e.,  when  a  tool  has  been  hardened  and 
tempered  to  the  degree  thought  best  for  the  work  which  it  is  to 
perform  and  the  edge  does  not  stand  up,  but  instead  crumbles 
away,  the  steel  is  hard  but  is  not  tough  and  was  heated  wrongly 
in  hardening  or  not  quenched  right.  On  the  contrary,  when  a 
tool  has  been  heated  properly  and  hardened  and  tempered  as  it 
should  be,  it  can  be  very  hard  and  the  edge  will  hold,  because 
for  a  given  degree  of  hardness  the  same  degree  of  toughness  has 
been  imparted  during  the  heating  and  hardening  process. 

Special  Methods  of  Plardening  Tool  Steel. 

Often  when  tool  steel  is  bought  special  instructions  will  be 
given  as  to  the  method  of  hardening  it.  Sometimes  those  in- 
structions are  followed  out  and  often  they  are  not.  Now  in  all 
cases  where  such  instructions  are  given  don't  forget  to  go  by 
them,  otherwise  do  not  buy  that  brand  of  steel,  but,  instead,  get 
a  brand  which  you  can  harden  in  the  good  old-fashioned  way. 
There  are  now  various  brands  of  steel  on  the  market  which  are 
used  for  special  purposes  and  which  possess  qualities  which  other 
brands  do  not  (in  regard  to  cutting  at  high  speeds,  removing 
large  amounts  of  stock,  etc.),  which  require  hardening  at  different 
temperatures  and  tempering  at  special  colors.  If  you  need  this 
sort  of  steel  for  any  purpose,  don't  try  to  find  out  why  the  special 
instructions  are  given,  but  do  as  directed,  and  if  the  results  are 
what  the  makers  claim  for  it,  it  doesn't  make  any  difference  if 
you  have  to  harden  it  in  a  cake  of  soap  —  the  result  is  the  thing. 


ANNEALING     TOOL     STEEL.  3O/ 

Hardening  Compounds. 

In  order  to  harden  steel  tools  or  pieces  so  that  uniform  hard- 
ness and  temper  will  be  attained,  and  so  that  the  steel  will  come 
out  of  the  process  white  and  clean,  as  is  often  required,  the  fol- 
lowing process  may  be  adopted :  First,  in  the  heating  of  the 
steel  a  solution  which  will  protect  it  from  the  fire  and  another 
to  chill  it  quickly  are  necessary.  This  last  solution  will  also  give 
the  desired  clean  white  appearance  to  the  steel.  The  receipt 
for  the  first  solution  is :  equal  quantities  of  sal  soda  and  borax 
in  water  containing  one  ounce  of  cyanide  of  potassium  to  the  gal- 
lon. For  the  second  solution,  a  strong  brine  made  of  salt  and 
water,  and  about  the  same  amount  of  cyanide  as  salt,  will  do. 
Have  the  water  hot  and  add  about  two  ounces  of  sulphuric  acid 
to  each  gallon  of  water  used ;  when  mixed  put  away  in  a  cool 
place  and  keep  well  covered. 

To  use  the  solutions  proceed  as  follows :  Fill  all  holes  near 
the  edge  of  the  steel  with  fire  clay,  then  dip  into  the  first  solu- 
tion and  place  the  steeel  immediately  on  the  fire  while  wet.  Heat 
slowly  and  carefully  and  be  sure  not  to  heat  any  one  portion  of 
the  work  faster  than  another,  as  the  slower  the  heat  the  more 
uniform  its  distribution  in  the  piece.  When  the  proper  tempera- 
ture has  been  reached,  which  should  be  a  clear  bright  red,  dip  the 
work  straight  down  into  the  hardening  solution ;  when  it  has 
cooled  remove  from  the  bath  and  work  of  silvery  whiteness  and 
uniform  hardness  will  be  the  result.  When  hardening  long, 
slender  pieces  in  this  solution,  dip  them  endwise,  and  do  not  shake 
about,  but  instead  revolve,  if  possible,  rapidly. 

Tempering  in  the  Sand  Bath. 

When  a  number  of  pieces  of  the  same  size  or  slightly  different 
sizes  have  been  hardened  and  it  is  desired  to  draw  them  all  to 
the  same  temper,  the  sand  bath  will  be  found  to  give  the  most 
uniform  results.  This  consists  of  an  iron  box  filled  with  sand 
and  heated  over  a  fire  to  the  temperature  required.  When  the 
sand  has  been  heated  to  the  required  degree  the  tools  to  be  tem- 
pered are  laid  on  top  and  removed  when  the  color  denoting  the 
temper  required  appears.  Always  remember  that  the  slower  the 
temper  is  drawn  the  tougher  the  steel  will  be.  When  steel  is 
heated  slowly  in  tempering  and  the  heat  is  distributed  equally 
over  the  entire  piece  the  molecules  assume  the  most  stable  posi- 
tion with  regard  to  each  other,  and,  when  the  tool  is  in  use,  all 


308  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

are  alike  affected  by  any  shock  sustained.  The  effects  of  heat 
on  copper  and  bronze  are  precisely  the  reverse  of  those  mani- 
fested by  steel,  as  when  such  metals  are  cooled  slowly  they  be- 
come brittle  and  hard,  but  when  cooled  rapidly,  soft  and  malleable. 

Hardening  the  Walls  of  a  Hole. 

Often,  in  die  work,  it  is  desired  that  the  walls  of  a  drawing- 
die  or  some  other  part,  such  as  the  inside  of  a  hollow  punch, 
should  be  hard  and  the  remaining  portions  of  the  piece  soft.  This 
may  be  accomplished  by  proceeding  as  follows :  Clamp  the  die 
or  punch,  as  the  case  may  be,  between  flanges  on  the  ends  of 
tubes,  being  sure  to  have  the  steel  at  the  proper  heat.  Then 
allow  a  stream  of  cold  water  or  brine  to  circulate  through  the 
tubes  and  the  walls  will  harden  in  depth  as  far  as  the  inside  edges 
of  the  flanges,  while  the  remaining  portion  will  remain  soft. 

Reannealing. 

Sometimes  a  piece  of  steel,  which  is  to  be  used  for  a  punch  or 
die  blank,  upon  starting  to  machine  it,  proves  hard,  although  it 
has  been  annealed.  When  this  is  the  case,  never  try  to  finish  it 
before  reannealing  it ;  instead,  rough  it  down,  clean  out  the 
centers  and  anneal  it  over  again.  The  time  required  to  reanneal 
the  piece  of  steel  will  be  more  than  made  up  in  the  machining 
of  it. 

Water  Annealing. 

Frequently  a  piece  of  steel  is  required  for  a  repair  job  or 
some  other  job  in  a  hurry,  and  there  is  no  time  to  anneal  it  in  the 
regular  way.  At  other  times  a  piece  which  has  been  hardened 
requires  to  be  remachined.  When  confronted  with  the  above  con- 
ditions the  tool-maker  can  fall  back  on  the  ''water  anneal,"  and 
after  he  has  tried  it  a  few  times  he  will  be  delighted  with  the 
results.  There  are  several  methods  of  doing  this,  and  we  give 
here  the  best  of  them  all.  The  mechanic  may  adopt  any  of  them, 
according  to  the  results  secured  from  each.  The  first  method  is 
to  heat  the  steel  slowly  to  a  dull  cherry  red,  then  remove  it  from 
the  fire  and  with  a  piece  of  soft  wood  try  the  heat,  as  it  decreases, 
by  touching  the  steel  with  the  end  of  the  stick.  When  the  piece 
has  cooled  so  that  the  wood  ceases  to  char  plunge  the  steel  quickly 
into  an  oil  bath.  On  machining  the  steel  it  will  be  found  to  be 
very  soft. 

The  second  method  for  water  annealing,  is  to  heat  the  steel 


HARDENING    AND    TEMPERING    PRESS    TOOLS.  309 

slowly  to  a  red  heat,  then  allow  it  to  lie  in  the  ashes  a  few 
minutes  until  almost  black,  then  drop  it  into  soap-suds  and  allow 
it  to  cool.  Very  often  the  piece  of  steel  annealed  in  this  manner 
will  turn  out  much  softer  than  if  annealed  in  the  regular  manner 
by  packing  in  powdered  charcoal  and  allowed  to  cool  over  night. 
A  good  way  to  make  sure  as  to  the  time  to  drop  the  steel  into  the 
bath  is  to  allow  it  to  cool  until  almost  black,  then  touch  it  with  a 
file;  if  the  steel  does  not  brighten  for  an  instant  and  then  turn 
blue,  wait  a  few  seconds  and  repeat  the  experiment.  If  upon  the 
second  trial  the  blue  appears  and  then  a  spark  right  afterward, 
drop  the  steel  instantly  into  the  bath,  and  when  cool  it  will  be 
found  to  be  as  "soft  as  butter." 

Warping  of  Tools  in  Hardening. 

Often  after  carefully  hardening  a  long  tool  it  will  be  found  to 
have  warped  during  the  process,  often  to  such  a  degree  as  lo 
make  it  useless.  There  is  a  way  to  avoid  this  altogether,  or  ar 
least,  the  warp  will  be  so  slight  as  not  to  affect  the  efficiency  of 
the  tool.  To  insure  against  warping,  lower  the  steel,  when  at 
the  proper  heat,  squarely  into  the  bath,  lowering  it  as  far  as 
possible  into  the  center  of  the  liquid.  When  this  is  done  the  heat 
will  be  absorbed  equally  from  all  sides  and  the  tendency  to  warp 
excessively  will  have  been  eliminated. 

The  Location  of  the  Hardening  Furnace. 
Although  in  a  great  many  shops  very  little  importance  is  at- 
tached to  the  proper  placing  and  locating  of  the  forge  or  furnace 
which  is  to  be  used  during  the  hardening  processes,  it  will  be 
found  that  if  the  location  chosen  is  in  a  darkened  corner  where 
the  sun's  rays  will  not  come  near  it,  the  best  results  will  be  at- 
tained. No  matter  what  kind  of  hardening  is  to  be  done,  the 
heating  arrangements  should  riever  be  located  where  there  is  too 
strong  a  light,  or  where  the  sun  shines  in  at  any  time  of  the  day. 
If  the  light  is  uniform  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  attain  uniform 
results,  while,  on  the  contrary,  if  the  light  it  too  bright,  there  is 
a  chance  of  heating  the  steel  too  hot,  and,  when  it  becomes 
darker,  not  hot  enough.  When  a  uniform  light  is  maintained 
during  the  day  the  men  become  accustomed  to  it  and  no  trouble 
is  experienced  in  getting  the  best  results. 

Hardening  Very  Small  Parts. 
When  a  large  number  of  very  small  parts  are  to  be  hardened 


310  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

they  should  be  packed  in  closed  iron  boxes,  and  the  box  heated. 
When  all  the  parts  have  reached  the  proper  heat,  they  should  be 
dumped  into  the  quenching  bath,  of  either  oil  or  water,  as  the, 
nature  of  the  work  may  require.  Another  way  by  which  small 
parts  may  be  heated  uniform,  is  by  means  of  a  lead  bath.  Keep 
the  lead  at  the  proper  heat  and  cover  the  top  with  powdered  char- 
coal and  coke. 

Tempering  in  Oil. 

Almost  all  large  shops  in  which  any  amount  of  hardening  and 
tempering  are  done,  have  discarded  the  method  of  tempering 
by  colors,  and  have  adopted  the  more  reliable  method  of  doing 
it  in  oil,  gaging  the  heat  by  a  thermometer.  A  kettle  containing 
the  oil  is  placed  on  the  fire  and  heated  to  the  right  temperature, 
the  hardened  parts  are  thrown  in  and  left  in  the  liquid  until 
drawn.  By  this  method  there  is  no  possibility  of  over-drawing, 
as  it  is  impossible  for  the  parts  to  become  hotter  than  the  oil. 
When  tempering  in  this  manner  it  is  not  necessary  to  brighten 
the  work  before  the  operation,  and  where  a  lot  of  such  work  is 
done,  it  will  be  accomplished  much  cheaper  than  if  the  old  methods 
were  used,  besides,  the  most  satisfactory  results  will  be  attained. 

Straightening  Hardened  Pieces  Which  Hare  Warped. 
When  a  piece  has  been  carefully  heated  and  just  as  carefully 
quenched,  there  is  little  chance  of  its  warping,  but  when  a  piece 
does  warp,  before  it  can  be  used  for  the  purpose  required  it  must 
be  straightened ;  to  do  this  proceed  as  follows :  Take  two  V 
blocks  and  place  them  on  the  bed  of  an  arbor  press  or  a  straight- 
ening press — either  one  will  do — and  place  the  piece  or  tool  on 
the  V  blocks  with  the  concave  side  down.  Then  take  a  Bunsen 
burner  with  a  hose  attached  to  it  for  the  gas  supply,  and  heat 
the  concave  side ;  do  this  slowly  and  do  not  heat  enough  to  draw 
the  temper.  While  the  steel  is  hot  apply  sufficient  pressure  to 
spring  the  punch  or  tool  back  in  shape.  A  large  number  of  hard- 
ened pieces,  which  would  otherwise  be  useless,  may  be  saved  by 
straightening  them  in  this  manner. 

The  Use  of  Clay  in  Hardening. 

Very  often  in  die  and  tool  work  it  is  desired  that  a  piece  with 
a  hole  in  the  center  should  be  hard  around  the  outside  and  soft 
around  the  hole,  or  a  punch  is  required  to  be  hard  at  both  ends 
and  soft  in  the  center.  To  accomplish  these  results  with  ease 


HARDENING    AND    TEMPERING    PRESS    TOOLS. 

iise  clay  in  the  following  manner :  When  the  stock  around  a 
hole  is  to  be  left  soft  and  the  outer  edges  of  the  piece  hardened, 
fill  the  hole  with  clay  and  pad  it  at  both  sides,  then  heat  the  piece 
and  plunge  it  into  the  water.  When  cool  remove  the  clay  and 
the  stock  around  the  hole  will  be  found  to  be  soft  while  the  outer 
edges  will  be  as  hard  as  required.  To  harden  both  ends  of  a 
punch  and  leave  the  center  soft  put  a  bandage  of  clay  around  the 
center,  or  desired  soft  portion.,  about  ^4  inch  thick,  and  bind  it 
with  a  piece  of  sheet  metal.  Heat,  and  quench,  and  the  desired 
results  will  be  accomplished. 

When  hardening  dies  cr  other  press  tools  in  which  there  are 
any  holes  near  the  edges  of  the  piece,  fill  the  holes  with  clay  be- 
fore heating  and  the  tendency  to  crack  will  be  overcome.  When 
the  holes  are  not  filled  with  clay — when  the  steel  is  quenched — - 
steam  generates  in  the  holes  and  cracks  start,  or  excessive  warp- 
ing occurs,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  steam  does  not  escape  fast 
enough  and  the  contraction  of  the  metal  is  unequal. 

Hardening  Dies. 

Of  the  hardening  and  tempering  of  dies  and  press  tools  too 
much  cannot  be  written,  as  upon  the  results  of  this  part  of  their 
construction  depends  the  efficiency  of  the  tools.  For  heating  dies 
a  gas  furnace  is  preferable,  but  when  this  is  not  at  hand  a  good 
clean  charcoal  fire  will  do. 

For  hardening  large  dies  it  is  indispensable  to  have  a  large 
tank,  which  should  be  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  insure  the 
rapid  cooling  of  the  steel.  A  tank  of  this  kind  can  be  arranged 
by  fixing  two  or  three  rods  across  the  inside  about  12  inches  below 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  a  pipe  let  into  the  tank  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  insure  the  circulation  of  a  stream  of  water  from  the 
bottom  upward.  When  the  die  is  to  be  quenched  the  water 
should  be  turned  on  and  kept  running  until  the  steel  has  cooled. 
When  a  good  circulation  of  water  is  kept  up  in  a  tank  of  this, 
kind  there  will  not  be  any  soft  spots  in  the  die. 

Hardening  Fluids  for  Dies. 

We  have  heard  a  good  deal  about  hardening  fluids  in  which  it 
is  claimed  dies  can  be  hardened  better  than  in  water  or  brine. 
Such  fluids  are  composed  chiefly  of  acids  and  we  should  advise 
keeping  away  from  them,  as  where  it  is  not  possible  to  harden 
die  steel  in  clear  water  or  brine,  the  steel  is  useless  and  should 


312  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

be  dispensed  with.  When  quenching  the  heated  steel,  dip  down 
straight  and  don't  shake  it  about,  but,  after  keeping  it  stationary 
for  a  few  seconds,  move  it  around  slowly,  keeping  it  square  all 
the  time.  When  the  die  or  punch  is  of  an  intricate  shape,  about 
three  inches  of  oil  on  the  top  of  the  water  will  toughen  it  and 
contribute  to  helping  the  steel  retain  its  shape  while  hardening, 
and  -  prevent  it  from  warping  or  cracking  during  the  process. 
Lastly,  immediately  after  hardening  and  before  grinding,  the  steel 
should  be^  placed  on  the  fire^  and  slightly  warmed,  to  take  the  chill 
out,  and  not  laid  aside  for  a  while,  as  we  have  seen  dies  that  were 
laid  aside  after  hardening  (that  were  intact)  after  a  few  hours 
show  cracks. 

Steel  for  Punches. 

When  small  punches  are  required  to  punch  heavy  work  or  to 
run  at  high  speeds  never  use  drill  rod  or  Stubs'  steel,  as  such 
stock  is  really  the  poorest  stock  that  could  be  used  for  such  work, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  fine,  high  carbon  steel  of  this  kind,  or 
any  other  for  that  matter,  crystallizes  rapidly  under  concussion. 
In  place  of  such  stock  use  the  lowest  grade  of  steel  which  will 
harden  only  at  a  white  heat,  and  the  punches  will  last  many  times 
a£  long  as  any  that  could  be  made  from  the  better  grades  of 
stock. 

For  small  punches  which  are  to  pierce  thin  soft  stock,  or  to 
run  at  a  slow  speed,  get  the  best  grade  of  steel  on  the  market,  as 
for  such  work  the  finer  the  grade  the  better  results  will  be  ob- 
tained. 

Soft  or  Hard  Punches  and  Dies. 

It  is  often  very  hard  to  determine  as  to  whether  a  punch  and 
die  should  be  hardened  or  whether  one  of  them  should  be  left 
soft,  and  if  so,  which  one.  The  stock  to  be  worked  and  the 
nature  of  the  work  have  to  be  considered  when  deciding  this  mat- 
ter. Some  classes  of  work  will  be  accomplished  in  the  best 
manner  by  using  a  soft  punch  and  a  hard  die ;  others,  when  a 
hard  punch  and  a  soft  die  are  used ;  while  in  a  majority  of  cases 
the  best  results  will  be  obtained  by  using  a  punch  and  die  which 
are  both  hard.  For  punching  or  shearing  heavy  metals  both 
punch  and  die  should  be  hard,  while  for  all  metals  which  are  soft, 
and  not  over  1-16  inch  thick,  a  soft  punch  and  a  hard  die  will  be 
found  to  work  well.  By  leaving  one  of  the  dies  soft  it  will  be 
easy  to  produce  clean  blanks,  as  when  the  punch  and  die  becomes 


HARDENING    AND    TEMPERING    PRESS    TOOLS.  313 

dull  it  is  only  necessary  to  grind  the  hard  one,  upset  the  soft  one 
and  shear  it  into  the  die. 

Judgment  and  Carefulness  in  Hardening. 

A  great  deal  depends  on  the  judgment  and  carefulness  of  the 
man  who  does  the  hardening  in  a  shop,  and  in  large  manufactur- 
ing establishments  one  man  should  be  given  the  job  of  doing  all 
the  hardening.  x  On  this  man's  efficiency  and  judgment  will  de- 
pend the  increasing  or  reducing  of  the  cost  account,  as  one  piece 
of  steel  which  has  been  hardened  properly  will  accomplish  many 
times  as  much  as  a  piece  which  has  been  hardened  carelessly. 
The  manner  in  which  the  hardener  puts  the  steel  into  the  quench- 
ing liquid  will  be  responsible,  more  than  anything  else,  for  having 
the  pieces  come  out  hard  and  free  from  cracks.  Work  with  deep 
recesses  will  often  have  to  go  into  the  water  with  the  recessed 
parts  first  or  vice  versa,  according  to  the  shape  and  location 
of  the  recesses.  When  hardening  large  pieces  which  are  worked 
out  in  the  center,  a  stream  of  water  striking  against  them  is  often 
absolutely  necessary.  There  are  some  grades  of  steel  which  will 
give  the  best  results  if  they  are  removed  from  the  water  as  soon 
as  the  vibration  has  ceased,  and  laid  aside  until  cool,  while  there 
are  a  greater  number  of  other  brands  which  will  have  to  be  left  in 
the  bath  until  perfectly  cool.  Experience  and  good  sound  judg- 
ment are  necessary  to  do  good  hardening. 

The  Use  of  Machine  Steel  for  Press  Tools  and  the  Hardening 

of  it. 

For  a  large  number  of  purposes  in  the  line  of  sheet-metal 
'working,  machine  steel  tools,  if  properly  hardened,  will  answer  as 
well  and  sometimes  better  than  tool  steel  ones,  and  if  the  follow- 
ing process  is  used  to  harden  such  tools  they  will  be  found  to 
give  the  best  of  results  and  may  be  used  for  cutting  purposes. 
In  order  that  the  parts  or  tools  may  do  their  work  and  last  long, 
they  must  be  hardened  very  deep  and  come  out  with  a  fine  com- 
pact grain.  For  dies  which  are  to  be  used  for  punching  regular 
shaped  blanks  from  light  soft  stock  machine  steel  case-hardened 
tools  will  give  excellent  satisfaction,  as  they  are  far  cheaper  to 
make  and  will  last  as  long  as  though  made  of  tool  steel. 

.To  do  this  work  properly  the  following  outfit  is  necessary: 
A  good  hardening  oven*  a  number  of  hardening  boxes,  a  good 
supply  of  raw  bone,  granulated,  the  same  amount  of  granulated 


3H  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION      AND      USE. 

charcoal,  some  hydro-carbonated  bone  and  the  same  amount  of 
charred  leather.  A  tank  large  enough  to  hold  a  good  supply  of 
water,  a  small  tank  so  arranged  as  to  allow  of  heating  to  any 'de- 
sired temperature,  and  a  bath  of  raw  linseed  oil,  and  the  outfit 
will  be  complete. 

Pack  and  heat  the  work  as  you  would  for  regular  case-hard- 
ening, and  leave  in  the  oven  to  cool.  When  perfectly  cool  heat 
the  pieces  in  hot  lead  and  quench  the  same  as  tool  steel.  If  the 
pieces  are  small  they  should  be  repacked  in  the  hardening  box 
with  granulated  charcoal  and  heated.  When  packing  in  charcoal 
do  not  mix  with  any  kind  of  bone  or  any  other  carbonizing  matter ; 
such  substances  open  the  grain,  and  the  object  of  the  second  heat 
is  to  close  the  grain.  The  hardening  heat  should  be  as  low  as 
possible,  and  the  hardened  piece  will  come  out  close  in  grain,  with 
a  hard,  tough  surface  all  over,  while  the  center  remains  soft  and 
the  piece  will  be  stronger  than  if  made  of  tool  steel. 

When  machine  steel  tools  are  to  be  used  for  cutting  they  should 
be  packed  for  the  first  heat  in  a  mixture  composed  of  equal  parts 
of  charcoal  and  charred  leather,  finely  granulated.  The  use  of 
charred  leather  gives  a  much  tougher  effect  to  the  steel  than  bone, 
as  the  leather  is  almost  free  from  phosphorus,  while  bone  is  not, 
and  as  phosphorus  makes  steel  brittle  the  substance  which  con- 
tains the  least  amount  of  it  should  be  used.  Tools  which  are  to 
be  used  for  bending  and  forming  may  be  packed  in  bone,  which 
will  carbonize  them  as  required.  When  using  either  bone  or 
leather  an  equal  amount  of  granulated  charcoal  mixed  with  it  will 
prevent  the  kernels  of  bone  and  leather  from  adhering  and  form- 
ing a  solid  mass  when  hot,  and  as  charcoal  is  an  excellent  heat 
conductor  the  pieces  packed  within  the  hardening  box  will  be 
heated  quicker  than  if  no  charcoal  were  used. 

Never  use  Bessemer  steel  for  such  tools  as  it  will  not  respond- 
to  the  process ;  open-hearth  steel  should  always  be  used  to  get 
uniform  results. 

Hardening  Large  Steel  Ring  Dies,  so  as  to  Prevent  Cracking  and 

Excessive  Warping. 

To  harden  large  ring  dies,  which  are  to  be  ground  after  hard- 
ening, and  which  are  required  to  be  very  hard  around  the  center 
or  hole  and  the  walls,  they  should  be  heated  in  large  iron  boxes 
as  follows :  Put  a  layer  of  fine  powdered  charcoal  about  2 
inches  deep  in  the  bottom  of  the  box  and  place  the  die  on  top  of  it. 


HARDENING    AND    TEMPERING    PRESS    TOOLS.  315 

Fill  the  die  and  cover  it  to  a  depth  of  about  3/J  inch  with  a  mix- 
ture of  4  parts  powdered  charcoal  to  i  part  of  charred  leather, 
then  put  a  loose  cover  on  the  box  and  place  in  the  furnace.  After 
heating  about  3  hours  or  more,  according  to  the  size  of  the  die, 
the  die  will  be  at  a  red  heat.  It  should  then  be  allowed  to  remain 
at  a  low  heat  for  about  an  hour,  which  will  insure  its  heating 
uniformly  throughout.  The  heat  should  then  be  increased  until 
the  die  comes  to  a  full  red  heat ;  it  is  then  ready  to  be  quenched. 

Remove  the  box  from  the  furnace,  and  with  two  pairs  of  tongs, 
and  a  man  at  opposite  sides  if  the  die  is  too  large  for  one  man 
to  handle,  draw  the  die  from  the  box,  clean,  and  quench  squarely 
into  the  water,  working  up  and  down  until  the  red  has  entirely 
disappeared,  then  let  it  lie  still  until  cool.  When  cool  remove  the 
die  from  the  water  and  heat,  to  remove  the  strain  and  chill  of 
hardening,  until  drops  of  water  sprinkled  on  it  wrill  steam.  Then 
lay  it  aside  in  an  even  temperature  where  it  can  cool  off  slowly. 

When  large  round  ring  dies  are  hardened  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed above  there  need  be  no  fear  that  they  will  warp,  crack  or 
shrink  excessively  or  unevenly. 

The  Effects  of  Annealing  in  Hardening. 

Although  it  is  not  generally  known,  the  successful  hardening* 
of  a  piece  of  steel  depends  on  the  annealing  of  it  previous  to 
machining  it,  and  in  order  to  harden  properly  it  is  necessary  that 
the  correct  processes  of  annealing  should  be  understood.  Al- 
ways anneal  any  odd-shaped  piece,  or  one  with  an  irregular  hole 
in  it  after  having  roughed  it  down.  The  best  way  to  anneal  such 
pieces  is  to  pack  them  in  granulated  charcoal  in  an  iron  box,  being 
sure  to  have  as  much  charcoal  at  the  sides  of  the  box  as  at  the 
bottom  in  order  that  the  heat  shall  not  penetrate  too  quickly. 
The  box  should  be  kept  at  a  red  heat  for  about  an  hour.  The 
proper  heat  for  such  pieces  in  annealing  should  always  be  higher 
than  the  heat  required  to  harden  the  same  piece,  in  fact  we  have 
found  that  a  heat  almost  as  high  as  a  forging  heat  will  be  the 
means  of  overcoming  any  tension  or  strain  which  may  manifest 
itself  when  the  piece  is  hardened. 

Hardening  Thin  Disks. 

The  best  way  to  harden  thin  disks  of  large  diameter  is  to  do 
it  between  iron  plates  with  well-oiled  surfaces.  In  heating  the 
disks,  it  should  be  done  in  such  a  manner  as  to  keep  the  fire  from 


DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

coming  in  contact  with  them.  The  best  way  to  do  this  is  to  place 
a  flat  cast  iron  plate  on  the  fire  and  heat  it  until  it  is  a  black 
heat,  then  place  the  disk  upon  it  and  heat  the  plate  until  the 
disk  has  reached  the  proper  hardening  heat.  When  the  proper 
heat  is  reached  remove  the  disk  and  place  it  upon  the  lower  oiled 
plate  and  instantly  place  the  top  plate  upon  it  and  bear  down  hard 
on  it  until  the  disk  has  cooled. 

A  Welding  Kink. 

It  is  often  necessary  to  construct  dies  from  forgings  of 
wrought  iron  and  tool  steel,  and  as  the  dies  when  finished  are  re- 
quired to  be  hardened  it  is  necessary  that  there  should  be  a  good 
weld  between  the  two  parts.  To  accomplish  these  results  when 
welding  mix  mild  steel  chips — from  which  all  of  the  oil  has  been 
removed— --with  borax,  and  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  producing 
a  clean  weld  and  one  which  will  not  buckle  or  separate  in  hard- 
ening. 

Hardening  Thick  Round  Dies. 

Often  round  dies,  which  are  thick  in  proportion  to  their 
•diameter,  will  contract  excessively  in  the  center  during  the  hard- 
ening process ;  often  to  such  a  degree  as  to  make  them  unfit  for 
use.  To  overcome  this,  have  an  arrangement  by  which  a  stream 
of  water  may  be  forced  through  the  hole  without  wetting  the  out- 
side ;  allowing  the  water  to  only  come  in  contact  with  the  inside 
of  the  die.  By  doing  this  the  walls  of  the  hole  will  be  hard, 
while  the  outside  will  remain  soft,  and  when  the  temper  is  drawn 
the  hole  will  remain  straight  and  true.  In  shops  where  grinding 
facilities  are  not  at  hand,  this  method  will  work  excellently.  If 
possible  use  strong  brine  for  the  hardening  fluid. 

Hardening  Springs. 

As  very  often  springs  form  part  of  the  construction  of  various 
kinds  of  dies,  it  is  well  to  understand  how  to  harden  and  temper 
them  successfully.  For  small  and  medium-sized  springs,  use  a 
solution  composed  of  l/2  sperm  oil,  ]/2  neat's  foot  oil  with  an 
ounce  of  resin,  and  the  springs  will  come  out  of  the  bath  tem- 
pered *as  desired.  For  heavy  springs,  which  have  to  exert  a 
great  deal  of  pressure,  use  hot  water.  Have  the  water  boiling 
and  plunge  the  springs,  when  at  the  proper  heat,  into  it.  By 
adopting  this  method  no  burning  off  will  be  necessary,  as  the 


HARDENING    AND    TEMPERING    PRESS    TOOLS. 

springs  will  be  the  proper  temper.     What  is  more,  they  will  not. 
break  or  "crawl  up"  when  in  use. 

A  Substitute  /"or  Borax  in  Welding. 

As  high  carbon  steel  is  frequently  used  for  forgings  for  dies,, 
and  as  in  order  to  secure  the  best  results  it  should  be  welded 
at  the  lowest  possible  heat,  we  give  here  a  receipt  of  a  welding 
compound  to  use  as  a  substitute  for  borax. 

Pulverize  and  mix  with  about  3  pounds  of  good  welding  sand, 
2  ounces  of  prussiate  of  potash,  6  ounces  of  common  salt,  2 
ounces  of  copperas,  I  ounce  of  black  oxide  of  manganese  and  I 
ounce  of  saltpetre. 

Hardening  Poor  Steel 

Very  often  in  making  dies  we  run  across  a  piece  of  steel  which 
after  working  up  will  not  respond  satisfactorily  to  the  usual 
hardening  processes.  When  this  is  the  case  prepare  a  solution 
composed  of  two  handfuls  of  common  salt,  one  ounce  of  corrosive 
sublimate  to  about  six  quarts  of  water,  and  when  the  steel  has 
reached  a  good  red  heat  plunge  it  into  the  bath.  The  corrosive 
sublimate  gives  toughness  to  the  steel  and  the  salt  hardness.  This 
solution  is  deadly  poison ;  exercise  care  when  using  it. 

To  Anneal  Doubtful  Steel. 

There  are  some  kinds  of  steel  which  will  not  anneal,  satis- 
factorily even  when  packed  in  an  air-tight  box  in  powdered  char- 
coal. To  anneal  steel  of  this  kind  cover  it  with  fire  clay,  ancL 
heat  to  a  red  heat  and  allow  to  cool  over  night  in  the  furnace. 

Annealing  in  Bean  Water. 

Down  in  New  England  where  beans  are  appreciated  they  an- 
neal steel  very  satisfactorily  by  heating  it  to  a  cherry  red  and. 
when  cooled  to  a  black  plunging  it  into  a  bath  of  water  in  which 
beans  have  been  boiled. 

Bluing  Bright  Sheet  Metal  Blanks. 

To  blue  bright  sheet  metal  blanks,  or  other  small  parts,  heat 
a  ladle  full  of  core  sand,  put  the  blanks  in  and  shake  the  ladle 
over  the  fire  until  the  required  color  appears.  Another  way  to 
blue  such  parts  is  to  heat  a  mixture  composed  of  10  pounds 
of  saltpetre,  i  pound  of  black  oxide  of  manganese.  Put  the 
work  in  a  wire  basket  and  sink  the  basket  into  the  center  of 


DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION      AND     USE. 

the  mixture.     Keep  the  basket  revolving  and  remove  when  the 
proper  color  appears  on  the  parts. 

Machining  Mild  Steel  Forgings. 

When  machining  mild  steel  forgings,  or  any  other  material 
for  which  water  can  be  used  as  a  cutting  lubricant,  use  instead 
of  soap  water  strong  sal  soda  water.  It  will  work  better  than 
the  other  on  either  lathe  or  planer. 

Laying  Out  Dies. 

When  laying  out  dies,  first  have  a  bright  smooth  surface  and 
use  blue  vitriol  and  water  for  coloring.  By  using  this  solution 
the  surface  will  be  coppered  nicely,  and  all  .templet  lines  will  show 
up  fine.  If  the  surface  of  the  steel  is  oily  add  a  little  oil  of  vitriol 
to  the  mixture  and  the  oil  will  be  eaten  away  and  a  nicely  cop- 
pered surface  will  result. 

Cutting  Aluminum. 

For  cutting,  turning,  drilling,  blanking  or  drawing  aluminum 
coat  the  sheets  or  parts  with  kerosene  oil  or  coal  oil. 

Softening  Chilled  Cast  Iron  Dies  for  Drilling. 

As  drawing  and  forming  dies  are  very  often  made  of  chilled 
cast  iron,  and  as  sometimes  holes  are  required  to  be  drilled  in 
them,  it  is  well  to  know  how  to  soften  it  to  allow  of  drilling  the 
holes.  To  do  this  heat  the  die  to  a.  cherry  red  and  let  it  lie  on 
the  coals.  Then  place  a  piece  of  brimstone,  circular  in  shape  and 
a  little  less  in  diameter  than  the  hole  to  be  drilled,  on  the  spot 
where  the  hole  is  to  be.  Let  the  die  lie  in  the  fire  until  it  has 
died  out  and  the  metal  has  cooled,  and  the  brimstone  will  have 
softened  the  iron  entirely  through  within  the  radius  of  its  diam- 
eter when  solid. 

Hints  and  Suggestions  as  to  the  Proper  Method  of  Using  Files. 

As  nothing  contributes  more  to  success  in  die-making  than  a 
•well-defined  understanding  of  the  proper  use  of  files  we  have 
embodied  in  the  following  a  number  of  hints  and  suggestions 
which  will  be  found  valuable  and  prove  practical  guides  in  the 
art  of  filing.  We  are  indebted  for  the  data,  etc.,  to  the  Nicholson 
File  Co.,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  herein  acknowledge  our  thanks 
for  the  same. 


THE   USE   OF   FILES. 


319 


Very  few  mechanical  operations  are  more  difficult  than  that 
of  filing  well.  Unlike  the  tool  fixed  in  the  iron  planer,  whose 
movement  is  guided  by  unyielding  ways,  the  file  must  be  guided 
"by  the  hand,  and  the  accuracy  with  which  this  is  done,  will  de- 
pend largely  upon  the  patience  and  perseverance  given  in  prac- 


12-in.  Rasp  Coarse. 


12-in.  Double  Cut  Coarse. 


12-in.  Single  Cut  Coarse. 


12-in.  Rasp  Bastard. 


12-in.  Double  Cut  Bastard.  12-in.  Single  Cut  Bastard. 


ii 


.  Rasp  2d'Cut. 


12-in.  Double  Cut  2d  Cut.  12-in.  Single  Cut  2d  Cut. 


12-iu.  Rasp  Smooth. 


12-in.  Double  Cut  Smooth. 
FIG.    406. 


12-in.  Single  Cut  Smooth. 


tice ;  the  "guiding  principle,"  involved  in  many  other  tools  and 
operations,  being  wanting  in  most  applications  of  the  file.  While 
a  perfect  file  is  necessary  to  secure  the  best  results  in  filing,  knowU 
edge  as  to  the  selection  of  the  proper  file  for  the  work  in  hand, 
and  skillfulness  and  practice  in  handling  it,  are  equally  essential. 


320  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

A  severe  test  in  filing  would  consist  in  producing  a  true,  flat 
surface  upon  narrow  work,  or  say  that  whose  width  does  not 
exceed  one-eighth  the  length  or  stroke  of  the  file.  To  the  uniniti- 
ated, this  would  seem  to  require  that  the  file  should  have  a  per- 
fectly true  and  straight  surface,  but  were  it  practicable  to  make 
the  file  absolutely  straight  lines  acro'ss  the  work,  even  were  this 
operation  possible,  the  pressure,  if  applied  to  each  end  of  the  file, 
as  is  the  usual  custom,  would  give  it  sufficient  spring  to  cause  a 
rounding  to  the  surface  of  the  work. 

Therefore,  to  produce  a  flat  surface,  under  this  severe  test, 
or  even  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  the  file  should  have 
a  convexity  given  to  its  surface. 

Convexity  in  Files. 

Undoubtedly  few,  even  of  the  old  filers,  have  given  the  sub- 
ject of  convexity  as  it  bears  upon  broad  surface  filing,  the 
thought  it  is  entitled  to.  It  is  known  to  many  mechanics  that  a 
file  which  will  bite  and  cling,  with  the  accustomed  downward 
pressure,  upon  wrought  iron,  or  soft  steel,  will  require  a  greater 
pressure  to  prevent  it  from  glazing  or  slipping  over  the  work, 
when  applied  to  broad  cast  iron  surfaces.  This  is  owing  to  their 
glassy  nature,  and  their  extremely  granular  formation,  requiring 
that  the  teeth  should  enter  the  surface  deeper  than  in  the  more 
fibrous  metals,  or  they  will  soon  glaze  over,  and  become  dulled 
or  shiny,  thus  giving  to  the  file  the  appearance  of  being  soft,  while 
the  contrary  may  be  the  fact. 

Considerable  convexity  is,  therefore,  needed  in  such  cases; 
for,  while  it  gives  greater  control  of  the  file  from  the  point  to 
heel,  it  also  presents  fewer  cutting  points  to  the  work,  with  a 
given  pressure  downward,  than  in  the  less  convex  file — the  bite 
being  increased  in  proportion  to  the  increase  of  the  convexity ; 
the  ability,  therefore,  to  increase  it  more  or  less,  at  the  wi41  of  the 
operator,  is  of  considerable  importance. 

In  finishing  many  kinds  of  work,  the  absence  of  a  suitable 
convexity  limits  the  usefulness  of  the  file — as  in  the  preparation 
of  the  valves  of  steam  engines,  tables  of  printing  presses,  stereo- 
type plates  or  other  work  requiring  a  true  surface  and  in  the 
finishing  of  accurate  blanking  and  drawing  dies. 

While  an  absolutely  true  surface  is  confessedly  unattainable, 
it  is  evident  that,  as  in  the  above  cases,  a  degree  of  perfection  is 
sometimes  desirable  beyond  what  the  necessities  of  other  work 


THE   USE   OF   FILES.  321 

may  require ;  and  to  be  able  to  touch  the  exact  spot  indicated  by 
the  straight  edge  or  surface  plate  with  the  file,  is  to  utilize  it  in 
a  manner  which  could  not  be  done  if  the  convexity  did  not  exist. 

Files  Properly  Handled. 

Before  using  the  file,  it  should  first  of  all  be  properly  handled ; 
not,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  by  driving  the  handle  half  way  down 
upon  the  tang,  and  thereby  doubling  the  chances  of  breaking  it, 
but  by  forcing  it  well  up  to  the  shoulder.  Some  of  the  file  handles 
found  on  the  market  will  not  stand  this  amount  of  driving,  with- 
out splitting;  in  such  cases,  the  tang  of  an  old  or  worn-out  file, 
of  similar  dimensions,  should  be  heated,  taking  care,  of  course, 
not  to  draw  the  temper,  and  the  hole  in  the  handle  burned  out  to 
nearly  the  desired  size  and  shape,  before  driving  it  upon  the  tang. 
It  not  infrequently  happens  that  the  tang  hole  is  not  drilled  cent- 
ral,  or  is  badly  out  of  line;  this  may  also  be  corrected  by  using  a 
heated  tang. 

Of  the  many  file  handles  of  special  construction  hitherto  de- 
vised, there  are  none  which  have,  as  yet,  combined  that  simplicity, 
utility  and  economy  necessary  to  take  the  place  of  the  ordinary 
wooden  handle;  nor  do  we  think  it  possible  to  improve  upon  a 
wooden  handle  that  is  conveniently  formed  and  properly  ferruled 
for  most  applications  of  the  file,,  provided  it  be  firmly  affixed, 
and  carefully  used. 

Devices  for  Holding  Files. 

The  file,  when  used  in  ordinary  manner,  considerably  exceeds 
the  length  of  the  work ;  but  when  such  is  not  the  case,  as  in  filing 
large  table  surfaces,  and  shaping  out  recesses  of  considerable 
length,  or  when,  from  causes,  the  ordinary  handle  will  not  answer, 
it  then  becomes  necessary  to  grasp  the  file  by  holders  of  special 
construction.  These  special  devices  (manyx  of  which  are  quite 
rude)  are  numerous,  and  vary  to  suit  the  particular  shape  of  the 
file  and  the  work  to  be  performed. 

Short  pieces  of  files,  of  special  construction,  are  sometimes 
clamped  to  the  slide  rest, -to  be  used  upon  work  revolving  in  the 
engine  lathe,  and  are  soldered  or  screwed  to  bent  handles  when 
required  to  be  used  in  finishing  in  and  around  the  bottoms  of 
shallow  cavities. 

The  necessity,  however,  of  this  last  and  troublesome  method  of 
holding  the  file  may  be  avoided,  by  the  use  of  the  stub  file 


322 


DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 


holder,  Fig.  407.  Woodworkers  not  infrequently  clamp  one 
or  more  files  to  pieces  of  board,  or  fasten  them  by  means  of 
staples  and  wire  pins,  or  by  cutting  in,  in  such  a  manner  as 
Avill  enable  them  to  smooth  out  grooves,  or  true  up  the  edges  of 
their  work,  using  the  board  or  holder  as  a  gage. 

:  Bent  rifflers  are  oftentimes  required  in  reaching  certain 
irregular  shaped  cavities  in  drop  dies  and  irregular  shaped  draw- 
ing and  forming  dies. 

In  filing  large  surfaces,  the  tang  is  frequently  bent  upward, 
as  in  Fig.  409,  to  admit  of  the  hands  clearing  the  work,  when 


FIG.  407. — STUB   FILE   HOLDER 


FIG.  408.— BENT   RIFFLER. 


FIG.  409. 


SURFACE  PILE  HOLOER 


FIG.  410. 


FIG.  411. 


the  file  passes  over  the  surface ;  sometimes  a  crank-shaped  holder 
is  employed,  having  one  end  fitted  to  the  tang  of  the  file,  while 
the  other  is  fitted  to  receive  the  handle,  as  in  Fig.  410.  These 
devices,  which  facilitate  somewhat  the  handling  of  the  file,  do 
not  give  that  perfect  control  which  enables  the  operator  to  manip- 
ulate it  at  will,  nor  do  they  aid  in  governing  its  convexity. 

The  improved  surface  file  holder,  illustrated  in  Fig.  411,  was 
designed  especially  to  meet  these  points,  thus  enabling  the  skillful 
operator  to  do  much  of  the  work  with  the  file  which  has  hitherto 
teen  done  with  the  scraper. 

To  have  the  file  truly  and  firmly  handled  or  properly  affixed  to 
a  suitable  holder  is  the  first  step  in  point  of  economy,  as  well  as 
in  the  production  of  good  work. 


THE    P'SE   OF   FILES.  323 

Height  of  Work. 

Various  ideas  very  naturally  exist  am6ng  mechanics,  as  to 
the  height  at  which  the  jaws  of  the  vise  should  be  set  from  the 
floor,  for  use  in  filing ;  arising  largely,  no  doubt,  from  the  varied 
nature  of  the  work  upon  which  the  advocates  of  the  different 
ideas  have  been  accustomed  to  operate. 

For  filing  general  work,  the  top  of  the  vise  jaws  should  be 
placed  so  as  to  be  level  with  the  elbow  of  the  workman,  which 
will  be  found  to  range  from  40  to  44  inches  from  the  floor — 
therefore  42  inches  may  be  considered  as  an  average  height, 
best  suited  for  all  heights  of  workmen,  when  the  vise  is  to  be 
permanently  fixed.  This  position  enables  the  workman  to  get 
the  full,  free  swing  of  his  arms  from  the  shoulder ;  the  separate 
movement  of  the  wrist  and  elbow  shoulcl  be  done  away  with,  as 
much  as  possible. 

If  the  work  to  be  filed  is  small  and  delicate,  requiring  simply 
a.  movement  of  the  arms,  or  of  one  hand  and  arm  alone,  the  vise, 
should  be  higher,  not  only  in  order  that  the  workman  may  more 
closely  scrutinize  the  work,  but  that  he  may  be  able  to  stand  more 
erect. 

If  the-  work  to  be  filed  is  heavy  and  massive,  such  as  large 
cutting  dies,  requiring  great  muscular  effort,  its  surface  should 
be  below  the  elbow  point,  as  the  operator  stands  farther  from  his 
work,  with  his  feet  separated  from  10  to  30  inches,  one  in  ad- 
vance of  the  other,  and  his  knees  somewhat  bent,  thus  lowering 
his  stature ;  besides,  in  this  class  of  work,  it  is  desirable  to  throw 
the  weight  of  the  body  upon  the  file,  to  make  it  penetrate,  and 
thus,  with  a  comparative  fixedness  of  the  arms,  depend  largely 
upon  the  momentum  of  the  body  to  shove  the  file. 

It  will  therefore  be  seen,  that  in  fixing  the  height  of  the  vise, 
the  nature  of  the  work  and  the  stature  of  the  operator  should  be 
considered,  if  it  is  deemed  necessary  to  apply  the  principle  cor- 
rectly. 

Grasping  the  File. 

In  using  the  large  files,  intended  to  be  operated  by  both  hands, 
the  handle  should  be  grasped  in  such  a  manner  that  its  end  will 
fit  into,  and  bring  up  against,  the  fleshy  part  of  the  palm,  below 
the  point  of  the  little  finger,  with  the  thumb  lying  along  the  top 
of  the  handle,  in  the  direction  of  its  length ;  the  ends  of  the 


3^4  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

fingers  pointing  upward,  or  nearly  in  the  direction  of  the  oper- 
ator's face. 

The  point  of  the  file  should  be  grasped  by  the  thumb  and  first 
two  fingers,  the  hand  being  so  held  as  will  bring  the  thumb,  as  its 
ball  presses  upon  the  top  of  the  file,  in  a  line  with  the  handle, 
when  heavy  strokes  are  required.  When  a  light  stroke  is  wanted, 
and  the  pressure  demanded  becomes  less,  the  thumb  and  fingers 
may  change  their  direction,  until  the  thumb  lies  at  a  right  angle, 
or  nearly  so,  with  the  length  of  the  file,  the  positions  changing 
more  or  less,  as  may  be  needed  to  increase  the  downward  pres- 
sure. 

In  holding  the  file  with  one  hand,  as  is  often  necessary  in  fil- 
ing light  work,  pins,  etc.,  the  handle  should  be  grasped  as  already 
described,  with  the  exception  that  the  hand  should  be  turned  a 
quarter  turn,  bringing  the  forefinger  on  top,  and  lying  along  the 
handle  nearly  in  the  direction  of  its  length.  In  this  position, 
the  freest  action  of  the  hand  and  wrist  may  be  made  upon  light 
work. 

Amateurs  will  find  by  following  these  directions,  the  move- 
ments of  the  file  will  be  simplified,  and  made  somewhat  easier 
than  if  grasped  at  random  and  without  consideration. 

Carrying  the  File. 

The  most  natural  movement  of  the  hands  and  arms  in  falling 
is  to  carry  the  file  in  circular  lines,  the  several  points  of  the  limbs 
being  the  center  of  motions ;  this  movement  with  a  convex  file 
would  apparently  give  a  concavity  to  the  work,  but  the  real  tend- 
ency, especially  on  narrow  work,  is  the  reverse,  owing  to  the 
work  acting  as  a  fulcrum,  over  which  the  file  moves  with  giore  or 
less  of  a  rocking  motion,  giving  an  actual  convexity  to  its  sur- 
face, except  when  in  the  hands  of  a  skillful  operator.  The  real 
aim,  therefore,  should  be  to  cause  the  file  to  depart  only  so  much 
from  a  true  right  line  as  will  be  necessary  to  feel  that  each  inch 
of  its  stroke  is  brought  into  exact  contact  with  the  desired  por- 
tion of  the  work ;  and  by  thus  changing  the  course  of  the  stroke 
slightly,  thereby  preventing  "grooving,"  a  more  even  surface 
results  and  the  work  is  completed  sooner. 

The  movements  here  referred  to  have  reference  to  those  in 
which  both  hands  are  used  upon  flat  work,  requiring  nicety  and 
trueness  of  finish,  and  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  producing 


THE    USE    OF    FILES.  325 

even  a  comparatively  true  flat  surface  with  a  file  require  much 
practice  on  the  part  of  the  operator. 

In  filing  ovals  and  irregular  forms,  the  movements,  while  not 
considered  so  difficult  or  trying,  nevertheless  require  considerable 
experience  and  a  good  eye,  to  so  blend  the  strokes  of  the  file  upon 
the  round  or  curved  surfaces  as  to  give  the  best  effect ;  the  varied 
nature  of  the  work  upon  this  class  of  surfaces,  though  much 
might  be  said,  prevents  any  detailed  definition  as  to  the  move- 
ments of  the  file,  within  the  limit  of  this  article. 

In  point  of  economy,  the  pressure  on  the  file  should  be  re- 
lieved during  the  back  stroke ;  this  will  be  apparent  to  any  one 
who  will  examine  the  formation  of  the  points  of  the  teeth  (see 
illustration,  Fig.  406),  when  it  will  be  seen  that  the  file  can  only 
cut  during  the  ordinary  or  advancing  stroke,  and  that  equal  pres- 
sure during  the  back  stroke  must  be  very  damaging  to  the  points 
of  the  teeth. 

Draw-Filing. 

Files  are  sometimes  used  by  grasping  at  each  end,  and  moving 
them  sidewise  across  the  work,  after  the  manner  of  using  the 
spoke-shave.  This  operation  is  known  as  draw-filing,  and  is 
Usually  performed  in  laying  the  strokes  of  turned  work,  length- 
wise, instead  of  circular,  as  left  from  the  lathe  finish,  as  well  as 
•when  giving  a  final  fit  to  the  shaft  that  is  to  receive  a  coupling; 
cases,  generally,  in  which  no  considerable  amount  of  stock  is 
to  be  removed,  and  thus  any  defection  from  the  principle  of  con- 
struction or  arrangement  of  the  teeth  of  the  file  are  not  so  readily 
apparent. 

Files,  as  they  are  ordinarily  made,  are  intended  to  cut  when 
used  with  a  forward  stroke,  and  the  same  file  cannot  work 
smoothly,  or  to  the  best  advantage",  when  moved  sidewise,  unless 
care  is  taken  that  the  face  of  the  teeth  present  themselves,  during 
the  forward  movement  of  the  file,  at  a  sufficient  angle  to  cut,  in- 
stead of  scratching  the  work.  To  accomplish  this  the  angle  at 
which  the  file  is  held  with  respect  to  the  line  of  .its  movement, 
must  vary,  with  different  files,  depending  upon  the  angle  at  which 
the  last  or  up  cut  is  made.  The  pressure  should  also  be  relieved 
during  the  back  stroke,  as  in  ordinary  filing. 

When  properly  used,  work  may  be  finished  somewhat  finer 
and  the  scratches  more  closely  congregated  than  in  the  ordinary 
use  of  the  same  file ;  as,  in  draw-filing,  the  teeth  produce  a  shear- 
ing or  shaving  cut. 


DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

First  Use  of  a  File. 

In  economizing  the  wear  of  the  files  intended  for  general  pur- 
poses, consideration  should  be  given  to  the  kind  of  material  which 
they,  may  be  subjected  to,  in  the  different  stages  of  their  use. 

In  the  ordinary  use  of  the  machine  shop,  the  first  wear  of 
these  files  should  be  in  finishing  the  larger  surfaces  of  cast  iron, 
bronze,  or  brass  metals,  all  of  which  require  a  keen  cutting  tooth; 
they  may  then  be  made  to  do  good  execution  upon  the  narrower 
surfaces  of  these  metals,  also  upon  wrought  iron  and  soft  steel ; 
as  a  file  that  has  been  used  more  or  less  upon  this  kind  of  work 
will  not  tear  the  surface  of  these  metals  and  will  consequently  do 
more  effective  work.  To  obtain  the  best  results,  the  file  suited 
for  general  purposes  is  not  so  well  adapted  to  riling  brass  or  other 
similar  soft  metals  as  those  whose  teeth  are  arranged  for  this 
purpose. 

New  files,  particularly  double  cuts,  are  severely  worn  down 
by  use  upon  narrow  surfaces,  as  the  strain  comes  wholly  upon  a 
few  teeth  and  frequently  breaks  them. 

Preparing  Work. 

The  corners  or  thin  edges  of  iron  castings  are  very  likely  to 
become  chilled,  and  a  thin  scale  or  skin  produced  over  the  entire 
surface  of  the  casting,  caused  by  the  hot  metal  coming  in  contact 
with  the  moist  sand  of  the  foundry  molds ;  this  outer  skin  is  us- 
ually much  harder  than  the  metal  beneath  it,  and  many  times  the 
thin  edges  or  corners  are  chilled  so  as  to  be  harder  even  than  the 
file  itself. 

The  necessity,  therefore,  of  removing  this  scale  and  chilled 
surface  becomes  readily  apparent,  and  all  mechanics  who  give  any 
consideration  to  the  proper  and  economical  use  of  the  file  will  be 
careful  to  see  that  the  scale  and  sand  are  first  removed  by  pickling, 
and  the  surfaces  which  have  become  chilled  by  grinding,  before 
applying  the  file. 

If  it  is  impossible  or  impracticable  to  remove  the  scale  by 
pickling,  a  file  that  has  been  used  until  it  is  too  dull  for  narrow 
steel  work  may  be  employed ;  the  teeth  will  then  not  be  broken  by 
the  hard  scale. 

'    Pickling  the  Work. 

The  pickle  for  gray  iron  castings  is  generally  made  by  mixing 
sulphuric  acid  and  water,  in  the  proportion  of  two  or  more  parts 


THE   USE   OF   FILES. 

of  water  to  one  of  acid,  and  is  usually  kept  for  this  purpose  in  a 
trough  lined  with  lead. 

The  articles  to  be  pickled  are  sometimes  immersed  in  this  bath, 
where  they  remain  for  a  short  time;  they  are  then  removed  and 
the  acid  is  allowed  to  act  upon  their  surfaces  until  the  scale  has. 
loosened,  when  they  are  washed  off  with  water.  More  often,  how- 
ever, the  pickle  is  dipped  from  the  trough  and  poured  over  the 
castings,  which  are  placed  on  a  sloping  platform  (thus  allowing" 
the  acid  to  return  to  the  trough),  where,  after  remaining  for  3- 
sufficient  time,  they  are  washed.  When  dry,  the  castings  are 
either  rattled,  or  scraped  and  cleaned  with  old  files  and  wire 
scratch-brushes,  until  the  surface  is  freed  from  scale  and  sand. 

To  pickle  brass,  or  gun-metal  castings,  a  mixture  of  nitric 
acid  and  water  may  be  used,  in  the  proportion  of,  say,  one  part 
acid  to  five  of  water ;  the  treatment  being  the  same  as  that  of  the 
iron  castings.  While  not  in  general  use  upon  the  coarser  kinds 
of  brass  work,  the  pickle  is  desirable  for  smaller  castings,  or  those 
requiring  to  be  protected  with  lacquer. 

When  Oil  Should  Not  be  Used. 

All  files,  when  they  leave  the  manufactory,  are  covered  with 
oil  to  prevent  them  from  rusting.  While  this  is  not  objectionable 
for  many  uses  to  which  the  file  is  put,  there  are  cases  where  the 
oil  should  be  thoroughly  removed,  as  when  the  file  is  to  be  used 
in  finishing  the.  .large  cast  iron  surfaces  which  are  of  a  glassy 
nature ;  the  principal  difficulty  being  to  make  the  file  "bite,"  or 
keep  sufficiently  under  the  surface  to  prevent  glazing ;  otherwise 
the  action  not  only  hardens  or  burnishes  the  surface  operated 
upon,  but  dulls  the  extreme  points  of  the  teeth,  thus  working" 
against  the  desired  end  in  both  directions. 

When  Oil  May  be  Used. 

Oil  may,  however,  be  used  to  good  advantage  on  new  files, 
which  are  put  immediately  to  work  upon  narrow  fibrous  metals  of 
a  harder  nature ;  in  such  cases  it  is  not  uncommon,  with  good 
workmen,  to  fill  the  teeth  with  oil  and  chalk. 

Oil  is  also  useful  on  fine  files,  in  the  finishing  of  wrought 
iron  or  steel,  as  by  its  use  the  teeth  will  not  penetrate  to  the  same 
degree,  and  the  disposition  to  "pin"  and  scratch  the  work  is  ma- 
terially less  than  when  used  dry. 


328  DIES,     THEIR     CONSTRUCTION     AND     USE. 

Cleaning  the  File. 

The  dust  and  small  particles  removed  from  the  material  oper- 
ated upon  are  always  more  or  less  liable  to  clog  and  fill  the  teeth. 
This  tendency  is  especially  aggravated  when  the  file  is  used  upon 
wood,  horn  and  such  other  materials,  as  upon  being  mixed  with 
the  oil  in  the  teeth,  become  baked,  when  dry,  and  thus  prevent  the 
teeth  from  penetrating  the  work,  to  say  nothing  of  the  appear- 
ance of  being  worn,  or  the  tendency  to  injury  from  rust. 

It  therefore  becomes  necessary  that  the  file  should  be  cleaned 
not  only  at  intervals  during  its  use  but  carefully  before  being 
laid  aside,  if  the  best  results  are  to  be  attained. 

This  cleaning  is  done  in  several  ways ;  sometimes,  in  the  finer 
files,  by  rubbing  the  hand  over  them,  or  by  drawing  them  across 
the  apron  of  the  workman  (which  is  a  more  common  method 
upon  the  large  files)  ;  by  the  use  of  a  strip  of  old  or  worn-out 
card  clothing,  tacked  to  a  piece  of  wood,  having  a  handle-shape 
at  one  end — a  device  which  is  usually  rudely  constructed  by  the 
operator. 

The  file  card  and  file  brush,  illustrated  in  Figs.  412  and  413, 


FIG.  412.  FIG.  413. 

will  be  found  excellent  tools,  and  master  mechanics  should  see 
that  every  person  in  their  employ  using  a  file  is  furnished  with 
one  or  the  other  of  them,  and  insist  that  they  be  used,  if  he 
deems  it  desirable  to  economize  in  the  wear  of  his  files. 

In  removing  oil  from  the  teeth  of  a  new  file,  a  ready  way  is  to 
rub  chalk  or  charcoal  across  the  teeth,  and  brush  thoroughly.  By 
repeating  the  operation  a  few  times,  the  oil  will  be  entirely  ab- 
sorbed, and  the  file  will  be  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  use 
upon  cast  iron. 

When  the  teeth  of  files  are  clogged  with  wood,  or  other  soft 
substance,  which  has  become  baked  into  them,  if  held  in  boiling 
hot  water  for  a  few  moments,  the  imbedded  substance  becomes 
so  loosened,  that  it  may  be  easily  carded  out  of  the  teeth.  If  the 
operation  is  quickly  performed,  any  .moisture  remaining  will  be 
readily  evaporated  by  the  heat  retained  in  the  file. 


THE   USE   OF   FILES.  329 

Care  in  Putting  Away. 

One  of  the  most  destructive  customs  among  a  large  number 
of  mechanics  of  the  present  day  is  that  of  loosely  throwing  their 
files,  fine  and  coarse,  small  and  large,  into  a  drawer  filled  with 
cold  chisels,  hammers  and  other  tools. 

Now  when  we  consider  the  small  portion  of -the  points  of  the 
teeth  which  is  worn  off  by  extreme  wear,  and  that  to  effectually 
dull  them  for  some  kinds  of  work  requires  but  slight  rubbing 
upon  a  hard  substance,  it  will  be  easily  seen  that  the  evils  of  this 
habit  should  be  more  carefully  considered  by  the  master  mechanic, 
and  suitable  provision  made  to  avoid  its  destructive  tendencies. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,     FIXTURES,     PRESSES,     DEVICES    AND    SPECIAL 
/'     ARRANGEMENTS   FOR  SHEET   METAL  WORK. 

Artistic  Die-Making. 

As  a  rule  it  is  popularly  supposed  that  the  finer  classes  of  die 
work  can  be  turned  out  only  in  shops  equipped  with  the  latest 
improved  tools,  and  if  one  were  to  make  the  assertion  that  many 
of  the  shops  in  which  the  finest  of  such  work  is  done  possess  only 
such  tools  and  machines  as  are  to  be  found  in  anv  little  country 
jobbing  shop,  he  would  be  laughed  at.  Now,  while  an  equip- 
ment of  up-to-date  machine  tools  is  always  to  be  desired  in  any 


FIG.' 414.— SAMPLES    OF   ARTISTIC.  DIR   WORK. 

line  of  mechanical  work,  in  order  that  less  shall  depend  on  the 
skill  of  the  workman  and  more  on  the  machines,  it  is  a  fact  that 
a  skillful  workman  can  often  accomplish  the  most  astonishing 
results  with  tools  that  are  far  from  being  what  they  should  be. 

'In  Fig.  414  are  shown  a  number  of  samples  of  work  which  are 
remarkable   principally   from   an   artistic   standpoint   and   for   the 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       33! 

principles  of  construction  adopted  in  the  tools  used  to  produce 
them.  The  dies  and  fixtures  used  to  produce  these  pieces  were 
made  in  a  little  shop  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  the  machine  tool 
equipment  of  which  consisted  of :  One  medium  sized  lathe,  a 
speed  lathe,  a  shaper,  two  drill  presses,  large  and  small ;  an  emery 
wheel,  a  forge  and  an  old  German  screw  press.  There  were  six 
men  employed  in  this  shop,  one  being  an  engraver  and  the  others 
die  and  tool-makers.  The  class  of  work  turned  out  in  this  shop 
would  bear  favorable  comparison  with  that  turned  out  in  any 
other  shop  in  the  country,  and  what  is  more  they  turned  it  out  at 
a  good  profit  for  the  "boss."  This  little  shop  has  been  in  exist- 


FIG.  415. 


ence  for  a  number  of  years,  and  we  hope  that  it  will  continue  to 
do  good  work  for  a  number  of  years  to  come,  for  we  dearly  love 
the  "little  shop." 

The  flower  design  shown  in  Fig.  414  was  produced  in  three 
operations ;  embossing  or  striking  up  the  design,  piercing  or 
punching  out  the  sections  marked  A,  ten  in  all,  and  trimming 
and  punching  out  the  finished  piece.  The  embossing  die  is  not 
shown,  as  its  construction  will  be  understood  from  the  other 
cuts.  Fig.  416  is  a  plan  of  the  piercing  die.  The  punch  for  this 
die  consists  of  the  regular  cast-iron  holder  and  machine-steel  pad 
in  which  the  ten  piercing  punches  are  located,  after  which  solder 
(hard)  is  run  around  them  at  the  face  of  the  pad.  These  punches. 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


are  left  soft  and  when  dull  are  upset  and  sheared  into  the  die  so 
as  to  punch  clean  again.  Fig.  415  is  a  plan  of  the  blanking  and 
trimming  punch  for  the  finishing  operation.  It  is  fastened  to 
the  holder  by  two  flat  head  screws  let  through  from  the  back, 
after  which  solder  is  run  around  the  face,  as  shown  by  the  ir- 
regular line  around  the  punch.  This  punch  is  also  left  soft.  Any 
die-maker  who  has  made  many  dies  in  which  gangs  of  piercing 
punches  had  to  be  located  will  appreciate  the  skill  required  to 


Gage  Plate 


Die  Plate 


Stripper  Screw  Holes 


FIG.    416. 

locate  ten  irregular  shaped  punches,  as  in  Fig.  416,  so  as  to  have 
them  in  perfect  alinement  with  the  dies. 

Fig.  417  is  a  plan  of  a  gang  die  used  to  produce  the  sword 
shown  in  Fig.  414  in  one  operation.  The  work  to  be  done  con- 
sists of  embossing  or  striking  up  the  design  at  K,  then  moving 
the  metal  one  space  and  piercing  the  two  small  holes  D  D, 
Fig.  414,  at  the  dies  M  M,  and  lastly  blanking  out  the  finished 
piece  at  the  blanking  die  N.  The  construction  of  this  die  is 
shown  plainly  in  the  engravings,  and  very  little  description  is 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       33J 

necessary.  The  embossing  die  and  the  blanking  die  are  two 
pieces  of  tool  steel  with  one  end  of  each  finished  to  the  angle  on 
which  the  dies  are  laid  out.  The  two  pieces  of  steel  are  fitted 
to  the  bolster  in  a  seat  between  F  F,  and  are  located  with  their 


OH 


/'OH0' 


10 


C 


FIG.  417. 

inner  ends  tightly  together  by  strong  taper  pins  at  L  and  P.  The 
piercing  dies  are  two  tool  steel  bushings,  hardened,  lapped  and 
ground  to  size,  and  forced  into  holes  in  the  inner  faces  of  the 
blanking  and  embossing  dies. 

The  punch  used  with  this  die  is  shown  in  Fig.  418.     The 


FIG.  419. — SECTION  OF   EMBOSSED 
BORDER. 


blanking  and  piercing  punches  are  fastened  and  located  in  a  pad, 
while  the  embossing  punch  is  located  on,  and  fastened  direct  to, 
the  face  of  the  holder  by  screws  and  solder,  not  shown.  The 
piercing  punches  are,  because  of  their  small  diameter,  No.  60 


334 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


drill,  forced  into  supplementary  holders  R,  and  are  allowed  to 
project  beyond  the  face  sufficiently  to  allow  of  their  passing 
through  the  stripper  and  stock  and  entering  the  die.  The  blank- 
ing punch  is  made  longer  than  the  others,  so  as  to  pass  through 
the  stock  and  enter  the  die  before  the  other  punches  touch  the 
stock,  thus  preventing  an  unequal  drawing  of  the  metal  by  the 
action  of  the  embossing  punch,  and  also  insuring  the  proper 
locating  of  the  "follow"  operations  on  the  work,  as  it  is  fed  along 
the  die-face. 

In  Fig.  419  we  show  a  section  of  an  embossed  border  which 
was  produced  in  strips  36  inches  long  by  the  gang  die  shown  in 
Fig.  420. 

The  strips  of  metal  are  fed  from  left  to  right  and  are  first 
acted  upon  by  the  embossing  punch  and  die  and  are  then  fed  for- 


FIG.  420. — PLAN   OF    DIE. 

ward  and  trimmed.  The  stripper  is  located  on  the  trimming 
punch  and  is  of  the  usual  spring  type.  The  embossing  die  and 
the  trimming  die  are  located  in  dovetailed  channels  in  the  bolster 
by  taper  pins  at  X  and  W.  The  points  T  T,  in  Fig.  419,  are  the 
gage  points  for  locating  the  work  in  the  proper  position  on  the 
trimming  die,  the  stock  being  fed  forward  until  the  point  strikes 
the  stop-pin. 

To  finish  these  embossed  strips  so  that  four  of  them  will  form 
a  picture  frame  when  soldered  together,  two  bending  operations 
are  necessary.  The  results,  after  the  operations,  are  shown  at 
the  right  end  of  Fig.  419,  while  the  dies  used  to  accomplish  the 
results  are  shown  in  Figs.  421  and  422. 

The  punch  and  die  for  the  first  bending  operation  are  shown 
in  Fig.  421,  giving  an  end  view  and  a  front  view  of  both  sections. 
The  punch  and  die  for  the  second  bending  operation  are  shown 
in  Fig.  422.  The  manner  in  which  the  work  is  accomplished  may 
be  understood  from  the  end  view  of  both  sets  of  tools,  in  which 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       335 

the  work  is  shown  by  heavy  dark  lines  as  located  upon  the  dies 
in  position  for  bending.  These  dies  were  37  inches  long,  and 
\vhen  it  is"  considered  that  they  were  machined  and  finished  in  an 


FIG.    421. — PUNCH   AND   DIE   FOR   FIRST   BENDING   OPERATION. 

1 8  inch  stroke  shaper,  it  will  be  conceded  that  considerable  skill 
was  involved  in  the  accomplishing  of  the  desired  results.  All 
working  parts  of  these  dies,  except  the  spring  and  fastening  por- 
tions, and  the  holders,  were  of  tool-steel  and  were  left  soft,  as  the 


FIG.  422. — SECOND   BENDING   OPERATION. 

shop  did  not  possess  the  necessary  facilities  to  allow  of  their  being 
hardened. 

The  animal  design  shown  in  Fig.  414  was  produced  in  one 
operation  by  means  of  a  die  similar  to  Fig.  417,  the  work  done 
comprising  embossing,  piercing  two  holes  at  B  B  and  blanking 


336  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

out  the  finished  piece.  The  beetle,  shown  in  Fig.  414,  was  also 
produced  in  a  die  of  this  construction,  there  being  two  holes 
pierced  at  E  E,  the  stock  used  being  thin  sheet  copper,  while  for 
the  dog,  brass  was  used. 

The  maple  leaf  design  was  produced  in  one  operation  by  an 
embossing  and  trimming  die. 

The  piece  shown  at  the  bottom  of  Fig.  414  is  the  best  of  the 
lot,  and  required  but  two  operations  to  produce.  In  the  first 
operation,  the  metal  was  embossed  and  the  piece  was  blanked  out, 
while  in  the  second  the  portions  marked  by  the  dots  were  pierced. 
The  making  of  the  piercing  dies  for  this  piece  was  a  job  worthy 
the  skill  of  any  die-maker,  as  the  piece  had  to  be  produced  clean 
and  free  from  burrs,  fins  and  irregular  margins.  In  the  piercing 
twenty  punches  were  used.  They  were  all  let  into  and  fastened 
in  a  machine  steel  pad,  and  solder  run  about  the  face  of  the  pad. 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  people  who  go  to  this  little 
jobbing  shop,  where  the  above  dies  were  made,  to  have  tools 
made,  do  so  because  they  can  get  them  cheaper  and  as  good  as  if 
they  went  to  some  of  the  larger  shops,  and  when  the  tool  equip- 
ment of  the  shop  and  the  classes  of  work  produced  in  it  are  also 
considered,  the  skill  of  the  men  and  the  mechanical  and  business 
ability  af  the  "boss"  may  be  imagined. 

Dies  for  Punching  Leather  Shoe  Tips. 

For  the  production  of  shoes  and  various  other  articles  of 
leather,  the  parts  of  which  are  required  to  be  pierced  in  fancy 
designs,  the  work  of  the  tool-maker  plays  an  important  part,  as 
the  variety  and  number  of  tools  used  is  very  large,  and,  as  they 
are  kept  in  quite  constant  use,  even  their  renewal  gives  employ- 
ment to  a  large  number  of.  mechanics.  In  the  following  we  will 
describe  the  means  employed  for  the  production  of  elaborate  de- 
signs, which  are  accomplished  by  punching. 

In  Fig.  423  are  shown  samples  of  work,  full  size,  produced 
in  this  manner,  and  in  Fig.  424  the  type  of  die  used.  The 
construction  of  the  dies  for  their  production  entails  a  lot  of  ac- 
curate work,  both  in  the  laying  out  of  the  shapes  and  designs  and 
in  the  finishing  of  the  tools. 

The  principles  of  construction  involved  in  these  dies  differ 
somewhat  from  those  usually  carried  out  in  the  making  of  dies 
for  sheet-metal  working,  as  the  conditions  under  which  the  tools 
are  worked  and  the  material  pierced  are  different.  In  Fig.  424 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       337 

is  shown  a  die  complete,  and  in  Fig.  425  are  the  essential  parts  of 
the  same — the  die  plate,  the  stop  and  the  stripper.  The  die  is 
made  to  pierce  eighty-eight  holes  of  comparatively  small  diam- 
eters. This  number  is  small  compared  with  some  designs.  The 


FIG.  423. — SAMPLES   OF   LEATHER   TIPS. 

crown  shown  in   Fig.  423   requires   137  holes,   and  others  even 
more. 

For  the  die  plate  Fig.  425  a  piece  of  annealed  tool  steel  is- 
finished  all  over  and  left  about  5-16  inch  thick.     The   stripper 


FIG.  424. — PERFORATING   DIE   FOR   LEATHER   TIPS. 

plate  is  then  got  out  and  finished  to  a  thickness  of  about  5-32? 
inch.  This  stripper  plate  is  clamped  to  the  face  of  the  die  plate 
and  holes  are  drilled  for  the  two  dowel-pins,  as  shown  at  D  D  in 
the  die  plate  and  at  K  K  in  the  stripper.  Three  more  holes  are 


338 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


then  drilled  for  the  fastening  screws,  as  shown  at  F  F  F  in  the 
die  and  at  J  J  J  in  the  stripper.  The  two  dowel-pin  holes  are 
carefully  reamed,  and  the  stripper  is  removed  from  the  die.  The 
three  screw  holes  are  tapped  in  the  die  and  enlarged  in  the 
stripper  for  clearance,  and  the  two  dowel-pins  are  forced  into  the 
holes  D  D  in  the  die. 

We  now  take  a  piece  of  hard  sheet  brass  and,  after  getting 


6 


0 


© 


© 


© 


0 


FIG.    425. — PARTS   OF   DIE. 

it  perfectly  straight,  the  design  is  laid  out  upon  it,  the  holes  are 
spaced,  prick-punched  and  drilled  to  size.  In  the  making  of  the 
templet  care  must  be  taken  to  get  it  accurate  and  the  holes  evenly 
spaced  for  the  design  to  present  a  symmetrical  and  artistic  ap- 
pearance. Note  the  fancy  design  of  the  templet  shown  in  Fig. 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR   SHEET    METAL    WORK.       339 

426.  The  templet  being  finished,  we  fasten  the  stripper  plate 
.and  the  die  together  by  screws  and  dowels,  and  soft  solder  the 
templet  to  the  stripper,  so  that  the  design  will  be  in  the  position 
shown  in  Fig.  425,  transfer  the  holes  through  it  to  the  stripper 
plate,  and  drill  entirely  through  it  and  the  die,  being  sure  to  keep 
the  drill  sharp  and  using  lard  oil  freely.  After  the  holes  have 
been  drilled,  the  templet  is  removed  and  the  holes  in  the  stripper 
are  slightly  countersunk  at  the  top,  while  those  in  the  die  are 
reamed  to  a  very  slight  clearance  from  the  back.  The  two  holes 
CC  are  now  drilled  and  countersunk  for  fastening  the  die  plate 
to  the  press  bolster. 

We  now  take  another  piece  of  steel  and  finish  it  to  the  same 


o 
o 
o 


o  o  o 

53  oOO  53 

°_      ooo      n^ 

o    o      ooo      o    o 

o       o    o    o        o 

o  o 

oo°      ooo       oo° 

o 


o 
o 
o 


65      -rV 

o  O 


55 


55 


FIG.  426.  —  A  TEMPLET. 


size  and  shape  as  the  die  plate  for  the  punch  plate,  and  after  lo- 
cating it  true  on  the  die  we  clamp  it  there  and  drill  two  holes  at 
E  E  through  both,  and  ream  them  to  5-16  inch.  These  holes  are 
for  the  punch  and  die  alining  dowels.  The  two  dowels  are  made 
to  the  length  shown  and  the  ends  are  rounded.  The  pins  are 
then  driven  into  the  holes  E  E  in  the  die,  and  the  two  correspond- 
ing holes  in  the  punch  plate  are  reamed  so  that  the  plate  will 
slide  up  and  down  on  them  without  play.  The  punch  plate  is 
now  located  on  the  face  of  the  die  by  means  of  the  dowels,  a  pair 
of  thin  parallel  strips  are  placed  between  them,  and  the  holes  are 
transferred  through  the  die  to  the  punch  plate  and  drilled  through. 
The  punch  plate  is  then  removed  from  the  die  and  the  holes  are 


34°  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

countersunk  at  the  back,  a  hole  is  also  drilled  and  tapped  at  each 
end  to  fasten  it  to  the  press  plunger. 

The  punches  are  made  from  drill  rod  of  the  correct  size,  are 
forced  into  the  punch  plate,  as  shown  in  Fig.  425,  and  are  upset 
at  the  back,  first  entering  all  the  smaller  punches  and  grinding 
them  on  the  ends,  getting  them  sharp  and  even  with  each  other, 
by  entering  them  into  the  die  and  allowing  them  to  project 
through  slightly,  and  grinding  them  all  while  thus  supported. 
The  larger  punches  are  then  fastened  into  the  punch  pad  and 
ground  in  the  same  manner,  leaving  them  about  3-32  longer 
than  the  others,  as  shown.  The  stop-plate,  Fig.  425,  is  got  out 
and  finished  to  allow  of  adjustment,  all  the  parts  are  assembled 
as  shown  in  Fig.  424,  and  the  die  is  complete. 

In  use  the  punch  plate  is  fastened  to  the  press  plunger  by  a 
screw  at  each  end,  and  the  die-locating  dowels  E  E  are  entered 
into  their  holes  in  the  punch  plate.  The  ram  of  the  press  is  then 
brought  down  until  all  the  punches  have  entered  the  dies,  and  the 
die  plate  is  securely  fastened  to  the  press  bolster.  The  con- 
struction of  the  dies  in  the  manner  here  described  insures  perfect 
alinement  of  all  the  punches  with  the  dies,  and  the  dowels  E  E 
secure  the  setting  of  the  tools  in  the  press.  For  this  work  neither 
punches  nor  dies  are  hardened. 

A  Cheap  Grinder  for  Round  Dies. 

As  there  are  a  large  number  of  shops  where  a  lathe  center 
grinder  is  unknown,  and  where  they  worry  along  and  try  to  do 
good  work  with  soft  centers,  or  at  the  best,  one  hard  center  and 
the  other  soft,  I  think  the  small  tool  post  grinder  shown  in  Figs. 
427-428  will  if  adopted,  prove  the  means  for  overcoming  these 
obstacles  that  prevent  the  production  of  first-class  work.  We 
have  often,  when  in  various  shops,  had  our  attention  called  to  the 
condition  of  the  lathe  centers.  Really,  it  was  terrible ;  here  one 
with  the  point  burred  up,  and  there  another  running  out  fear- 
fully. Then  again,  the  slipshod  manner  in  which  they  were  re- 
paired, first  turned  down  to  gage  with  a  wide-nose  tool,  and 
then  filed  to  a  finish,  after  which  they  were  hardened  and  drawn. 
And  they  were  then  expected  to  run  true !  The  day  is  past  when 
this  sort  of  work  would  do.  All  centers  should  be  turned,  hard- 
ened and  drawn,  and  then  ground  true  while  in  the  lathe.  This 
is  the  only  correct  way  to  finish  lathe  centers. 

The  grinder  shown  in  Figs.  427  and  428  respectively  is  about 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR   SHEET    METAL   WORK.     "34! 


FTG.    427. 


FIG.    428. 


342  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

as  cheap  and  compact  a  tool  as  could  be  devised  for  the  purpose 
mentioned,  and  can  be  used  to  advantage  for  other  work  as  well 
as  center  grinding.  In  fact  one  of  the  best  uses  to  which  it  can 
be  put  is  the  grinding  and  finishing  of  round  dies  and  punches. 
Whenever  dies  of  the  combination  blanking  and  drawing  type 
are  constructed,  this  grinder  will  answer  the  purpose  as  well  as, 
if  not  better  than,  a  more  expensive  one,  as  it  can  be  easily 
handled,  requires  very  little  adjustment,  and  can  be  laid  away  on 
a  shelf  or  in  a  drawer  when  not  in  use.  The  engravings  show 
clearly  its  construction  and  no  further  description  is  necessary. 
A  wooden  drum,  which  is  fastened  opposite  the"  countershaft  of 
the  lathe,  drives  the  grinder  by  means  of  the  round  belt  shown 
in  Fig.  428,  the  wheel,  of  course,  revolving  in  an  opposite  di- 
rection from  the  work.  When  grinding  a  blanking  die  that  tapers 
slightly  (that  is  larger  at  the  back  than  at  the  cutting  edge)  the 
grinder  is  set  off  to  the  proper  angle,  and  the  carriage  of  the  lathe 
is  moved  up  until  the  wheel  of  the  grinder  is  near  the  face  of  the 
die.  Then,  while  the  die  is  revolving  slowly,  and  the  wheel  fast, 
the  handle,  F,  Fig.  427,  is  grasped  and  pulled  in  and  out  slowly, 
feeding  the  wheel  to  the  die  by  the  cross  slide,  until  it  has  been 
ground  to  the  size  required. 

A  Compressed  Air  Drop  Hammer  for  Making  Sheet  Metal 

Caskets. 

What  is  certainly  one  of  the  largest  drop  presses  ever  built 
for  working  sheet  metal  is  here  illustrated  in  Fig.  429,  in  its 
principal  features.  This  hammer  was  built  by  the  Perkins  Ma- 
chine Co.,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and  was  designed  for  the  special 
purpose  of  making  sheet  metal  caskets,  the  different  parts  of 
which,  ready  to  be  assembled,  are  shown  in  Fig.  430,  after  being 
struck  up  from  the  plain  sheet.  A  casket  complete  is  shown  in 

Fig.  43 1- 

This  drop  hammer  will  handle  a  blank  30  inches  wide  by  7I/> 
feet  long  of  No.  22  gage  sheet  steel.  The  distance  between  the 
guides  is  8  feet,  the  stroke  of  the  hammer  being  5  feet.  The 
height  of  the  press  over  all  is  17  feet,  and  it  occupies  a  floor  space 
of  4  x  12  feet.  The  largest  cover  it  will  make  will  measure  6 
feet  7  inches  by  24  inches,  the  form  of  the  cover  being  shown 
in  Fig.  430.  The  piston  and  hammer  weigh  3  tons,  while  the 
cast  iron  anvil  weighs  12  tons.  The  dies  used  for  producing  the 
casket  parts  are  composed  of  cast  iron  bodies  faced  with  steel. 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       343 


FIG.  429. — COMPRESSED   AIR   DROP  HAMMER,  WEIGHT  64,000   POUNDS, 
USED   FOR   MAKING  SHEET  STEEL  CASKETS. 


344 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


The  piston  rod  may  be  said  to  be  attached  to  the  hammer  in 
two  ways :  First  it  is  keyed  into  the  block,  then  a  short  length, 
just  above  the  block,  is  reduced  in  diameter  to  receive  a  collar 
which  is  bolted  to  the  top  of  the  hammer,  as  shown  in  the  illus- 


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tration.  This  double  protection  was  deemed  necessary  owing-  to 
the  fact  that  should  the  piston  rod  break  while  the  air  pressure 
was  on  the  result  might  be  disastrous  as  far  as  the  cylinder  head 
was  concerned. 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       345 


In  using  the  hammer  it  was  found  that  a  stroke  of  3  feet  was 
amply  sufficient  to  upset  the  metal,  although  long  enough  to 
allow  a  drop  of  48  inches.  Some  idea  of  the  distortion  which 
takes  place  may  be  conceived  from  the  fact  that  the  cup  formed 
has  a  depth  of  4^/2  inches,  the  contour  being  plainly  indicated  in 
the  half-tones,  Figs.  430  and  431. 

The  machine  is  made  so  as  to  allow  of  the  operator  handling 
it  with  perfect  ease,  allowing  the  hammer  to  drop  every  twro 
minutes,  thereby  producing  30  complete  covers  for  metal  caskets 
•every  two  hours. 

A  Special  Blanking  and  Piercing  Die. 
The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  432  to  436  was  designed 


M  N  M 

FIG.  432. — PUNCH. 


c-cb 


D-D 


FIG.  433. — PUNCH. 


FIG.  434. — DIE. 


and  used  to  produce  pierced  blanks  of  the  shape  shown  in  Fig. 
437,  which  were  required  to  interchange  perfectly.  As  the 
making  of  this  punch  and  die  involves  some  new  principles  and 


346 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


illustrates   an    improved   method    for   producing    work   of   great 
accuracy,  a  description  is  here  presented. 

After   a   templet   of   sheet   steel   was   made   and   finished,   as 
shown  in  Fig.  437,  we  were  ready  for  the  die,  which  is  shown 


A-A. 


D-D 


^:%c-cU     /-,-;\c-c 

m  @T-V@) 


FIG.  435. — PI^AN   OF  DIE. 

in  different  views  in  Figs.  432-433.  The  die  blank,  after  being" 
fitted  to  the  bolster,  was  ground  on  the  face  and  then  drawn  to 
a  dark  blue.  The  templet  was  clamped  to  the  face  of  the  die  and 


c-c 


FIG.  436.  —  CROSS-SECTION  OF  DIE. 

an  outline  of  it  transferred  to  it  with  a  sharp  scriber.  The 
corners  of  the  outline  were  drilled  and  reamed  to  the  radius  re- 
quired with  a  straight  reamer,  as  were  also  the  ends  of  the  wings.. 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR   SHEET    METAL    WORK.       347 

The  stock  between  these  points  was  then  worked  away  and  the 
templet  carefully  worked  through  the  die  from  the  back,  finishing 
all  parts  of  the  die  perfectly  straight  (no  clearance  being  allowed) 
so  that  the  templet  would  fit  perfectly  at  the  cutting  edge,  and 
all  the  way  down  through  the  die.  The  inside  of  the  die  was 
then  finished  and  polished  as  smooth  as  possible,  after  which  the 
holes  for  the  four  stripping  pins  D  and  the  gage  pin  A  were 
drilled.  The  die  was  then  hardened,  heating  it  to  an  even  cherry 
red,  and  when  quenching  it  dipping  perfectly  straight,  thereby 
avoiding  as  far  as  possible  the  tendency  of  the  steel  to  crack  or 
warp  excessively.  The  die  was  immediately  warmed  to  take  the 
chill  out,  after  which  the  face  was  ground  and  drawn  to  a  straw 
temper. 

The  punch  is  shown  at  L  in  Figs.  432  and  433.     A  piece  of 
well-annealed  tool  steel,  after  being  roughed  out  and  finished  in 
a  dovetail  at  the  back,  was  tinned  on  the  face  and  the  templet- 
sweated  on.     The  punch  was  then 
worked  out,  first  in  the  shaper  and      /- —  — — — 

then  with  the  file,  down  to  the  edges 
of  the  templet,  leaving  a  margin  of 
about  .003  of  an  inch  at  all  points. 
Then,  by  using  the  templet  on  the 
face  of  the  punch  as  a  leader,  the  I  ,  E 

punch   was  gradually   sheared  into      (pc  cOj 

and  through  the  die,  in  the  press,      I  A  Op A/ 

removing  the  punch   several  times 

during  the  process  and  filing  away      »  !  '    """• 

the  surplus  stock  curled  up  by  the  FIG-  437-— TH3  BLANK. 
shearing.  The  punch  was  then  fin- 
ished and  polished  until  it  fitted  nicely  within  the  die.  The  holes 
for  the  piercing  dies  (M)  were  transferred  through  the  tem- 
plet to  the  face  of  the  punch  by  using  center  drills,  which 
fitted  exactly  the  holes  in  the  templet.  The  holes  were  then 
drilled  through  the  punch  and  reamed  from  the  back  to  the 
required  diameter,  allowing  them  to  taper  slightly.  The  oblong" 
piercing  dies  O  shown  in  Fig.  433  were  drilled  and  worked  out 
to  the  edges  of  the  holes  in  the  templet,  allowing  them  to  taper 
the  same  amount  as  the  round  piercing  dies,  The  templet  was 
then  removed  from  the  face  of  the  punch,  which  was  then  ready 
to  be  hardened. 

The  hardening  of  the  punch  was  a  difficult  thing  to  accom- 


348 


DIES.    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


plish  successfully,  as  the  tendency  to  warp  and  the  possibilities 
of  cracking  were  considerably  greater  and  harder  to  overcome 
than  with  the  die,  the  presence  of  the  piercing  dies  being  a  factor 
greatly  to  our  disadvantage.  All  the  piercing  dies  in  the  punch 
were  rilled  with  fire  clay  to  within  about  3-16  inch  of  the  punch 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR   SHEET    METAL    WORK.       349 

face.  The  punch  was  then  heated  in  a  gas  muffle  and  quenched 
in  a  tank  of  water  which  had  been  first  slightly  warmed  and 
with  about  3  inches  of  oil  on  top.  The  punch  came  out  all 
right  except  for  a  few  tight  spots  which  were  lapped  down.  The 
use  of  the  oil  contributed  greatly  to  the  successful  hardening  of 
the  punch — the  warming  of  the  water  also  helped.  The  face  of 
the  punch  was  ground,  after  which  it  was  drawn,  tempering  the 
edges  to  a  dark  blue  by  standing  the  punch  alternately  on  each1 
side  on  a  hot  plate;  the  rest  of  the  face,  which  comprised  the 
piercing  dies,  being  tempered  to  a  straw. 

The  die  S,  Fig.  435,  was  now  tightly  fastened  within  the 
bolster  by  the  key  R  and  against  the  two  Stub  steel  pins  T  T. 
The  punch  was  inserted  within  the  die  until  its  face  rested  on 
the  bolster.  The  holes  for  the  seven  round  piercing  punches  X 
and  Y  were  transferred  through  the  punch  by  means  of  a  center 
drill,  and  also  the  outlines  for  the  oblong  piercing  punches  Z. 
These  outlines  were  then  milled  with  a  "butt"  mill,  so  that  two 
pieces  of  finished  tool  steel,  about  y$  inch  larger  all  around  than 
the  finish  size,  could  be  driven  in,  holes  being  drilled  completely 
through  the  bolster,  so  that  they  could  be  removed  when  required, 
as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines  in  the  cross-section  view  of  the  die. 
These  two  punches  were  then  reduced  and  finished  by  inserting 
the  blanking  punch  within  the  die  and  shearing  the  two  punches 
Z  up  into  the  dies  O.  They  were  then  hardened  and  drawn 
to  a  dark  blue,  and  driven  into  their  respective  positions.  The 
holes  for  the  round  piercing  punches  in  the  bolster  were  drilled 
and  enlarged  by  counterboring,  the  seven  punches  finished,  hard- 
ened, drawn  to  a  dark  blue  and  driven  tightly  into  the  holes. 
The  faces  of  th-e  piercing  punches  came  within  y%  inch  of  the 
face  of  the  blanking  die. 

The  spring  stripper  plate  B  was  worked  out  to  fit  freely 
within  the  blanking  die.  Two  holes  were  drilled  in  the  bolster 
to  admit  the  stripper  studs  C,  and  were  counterbored  to  admit 
the  springs  E.  The  springs,  studs  and  stripper  plate  were  then 
assembled  in  the  die  and  bolster  as  shown  in  the  cross  section, 
Fig.  436.  The  gage  pin  A  and  the  four  scrap  stripping  pins 
D  were  made  and  fastened  within  the  die  as  shown  in  the 
plan  view. 

The  holder  for  the  punch  was  of  cast  iron,  finished  with  a 
dovetailed  channel  in  the  face  to  allow  of  locating  and  fastening 
the  punch,  as  shown  in  Fig.  432,  by  the  key  M.  A  hole  was. 


350  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

drilled  straight  through  the  holder  at  K,  breaking  through  into 
the  dovetailed  channel  in  the  face  to  act  as  an  outlet  for  the 
central  piercings.  Holes  were  also  drilled  through  for  the 
punchings  from  the  dies  X.  The  punch  and  die  were  now  set 
up  in  the  press,  the  body  of  which  was  tilted  back  to  an  angle 
of  25  degrees,  and  the  intermediate  horseshoe-shaped  pad  P  was 

placed  around  the  stem  I  of  the 
1        punch-holder  H,  in  the  position 
I        shown    in    Figs.    432    and    433, 
thus  insuring  the  easy  escape  of 


Intermediatepadused  er 

'to  allow  the  escape 


of  the  scrap  metal  to  be  punched  was   1-16- 

inch  flat  cold-rolled  stock,  and 
was  fed  beneath  the  stripper 
pins  D-D  and  against  the  stop- 


FIG.  439.  pin    A-A,    and,    the    punch    de- 

scending, the  blank  was  punched 

into  the  die  and  held  securely  between  the  face  of  the  stripper 
plate  B  and  the  blanking  punch  L.  All  the  holes  were  then 
pierced,  and  on  the  return  stroke  the  stock  was  stripped  from 
the  punch  by  the  four  pins  D-D,  while  the  finished  blank  was 
stripped  from  the  die  by  the  stripping  plate  B,  the  blank  falling 
oft  the  face  of  the  die  at  the  back  through  gravity. 

The  rapidity  with  which  a  punch  and  die  of  this  improved 
construction  can  be  worked,  and  the  absolute  interchangeability 
of  the  product  should  commend  it  for  all  work  which  is  to  be 
produced  in  large  quantities  and  in  exact  duplication,  thus  allow- 
ing for  the  increased  cost  of  the  die. 

The  Cutting  of  Armature  Disks. 

According  to  the  size  and  quantity  of  disks  required  they 
are  usually  cut  in  one  of  the  following  ways  : 

i.  For  very  large  diameters  or  relatively  small  quantities, 
the  shearing  of  the  outside  and  inside  circles  is  done  on  circular 
shearing  machines.  These  disks  are  then  notched  on  a  notching 
machine  and  the  key-notches  on  the  inside  are  usually  slotted 
after  the  disks  have  been  put  together  by  means  of  a  vertical 
shaping  machine.  For  disks  18  inches  or  less  in  diameter,  with 
small  center  holes,  as  shown  in  Fig.  440,  a  circular  shear  may  be 
used  for  the  outside  and  the  inside  punched  on  a  strong  power 
press. 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR   SHEET    METAL    WORK.       35! 

2.  For  such  disks  as  are  made  in  large  quantities  and  which 
are  of  moderate  diameter  (for  street-car  motors,  for  instance), 
the  best  factories  use  power  presses,  with  tools  so  arranged  that 
the  inside  with  its  kevseats  and  the  outside  with  its  notches  are 


Fig-  4.  Fig.  5. 

FIG.  440. — ARMATURE    DISK    DIES   AND   SAMPLES    OF   DISKS. 


oooooooooooo 


FIG.   441. — ARMATURE   SEGMENTS. 


cut  simultaneously  at  one  stroke,  as  shown  in  Fig.  440.  This 
constitutes  the  quickest,  most  accurate,  and  most  economical  way 
of  manufacturing  armature  disks  in  large  quantities.  The  presses 
used  for  these  dies  are  provided  with  knockout  attachments 


352  DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

which  discharge  the  scrap  and  the  disks  so  as  to  lie  loosely  on  top 
of  the  dies,  whence  they  may  be  easily  and  quickly  removed. 

The  requirements  of  armature  work  for  electric  motors  and 
dynamos  have  led  to  the  construction  of  presses  which  differ  in 
essential  points  from  those  used  for  other  styles  of  sheet-metal 
work.  The  usual  form  of  armature  is  made  up  of  annular 
disks  with  notches  on  the  outside  or  inside  circumference.  As 
it  is  essential  to  have  the  outside  and  inside  exactly  concentric, 
it  has  been  found  best  to  adopt  dies  which,  by  cutting  them  simul- 
taneously, eliminate  the  inaccuracies  which  are  almost  unavoid- 
able when  the  cutting  is  done  in  two  or  more  operations.  In 
many  cases  the  notches  and  keyseats  are  also  punched  at  the 
same  time,  all  of  which  calls  for  tools  having  "throw-out  pads," 
in  addition  to  the  cutting  parts,  so  as  to  automatically  push  the 
disks  and  scrap  out  of  the  dies  and  punches. 

3.  In  the  many  cases  where  dies  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  second  method  would  be  too  costly  to  be  economically 
used,  we  recommend  the  cutting  out  simultaneously  of  the  plain 
outside  and  the  notched  inside  as  indicated  by  Fig.  440.     This 
method   produces   an   absolutely   concentric    blank   ready   to   be 
notched,  and,  as  the  outside  notches  are  cut  separately,  the  power 
of  the   presses   is   equal   to   much   larger   diameters   than   those 
specified  in  connection  with  the  second  method.     The  notching 
is  then  done  on  notching  presses. 

From  the  inside  scrap  which  results  from  the  punching  of 
the  large  disks,  the  projections  corresponding  to  the  key  notches 
are  usually  removed  by  a  die  which  at  the  same  time  cuts  the 
inside  with  its  key  slots,  thus  working  the  scrap  over  into  smaller 
disks  without  any  loss  of  stock. 

4.  In  some  works  it  would  not  pay  to  use  the  dies  mentioned 
for  the  third  method,  which  dies  are  still  somewhat  expensive, 
on  any  but  the  most  current  sizes  of  disks.     In  that  case  we 
recommend    dies    which   cut   the   outside   and    inside    separately 
by  means  of  a  combination  die  in  a  single-acting  press. 

The  Cutting  of  Armature  Segments. 

For  segments  used  in  very  large  qauntities  the  outside  and 
the  holes  or  notches  are  frequently  cut  simultaneously  by  means 
of  dies  which  are  so  arranged  that  they  discharge  the  scrap  and 
the  segments  automatically  from  the  lower  and  the  upper  tools. 
A  press  equipped  in  this  manner  and  designed  specially  for 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       353 

this  class  of  work  is  shown  in  Fig.  442.  It  will  cut  the  inside 
and  outside  simultaneously  on  plain  disks,  Figs.  440  and  441,  up 
to  35^4  inches  in  diameter  when  disks  are  not  less  than  3  inches 
wide,  and  up  to  14  or  15  inches  diameter  when  all  the  outside 
notches  are  also  cut  at  the  same  stroke,  as  shown  in  Figs.  440  and 


FIG.  442.— ARMATURE    DISK-CUTTING    PRESS    WITH    DIES   IX   POSITION. 

441.  It  is  also  used  when  equipped  with  a  set  of  dies  of  the  type 
shown  for  cutting  segments  or  sections  complete  at  one  stroke, 
with  all  their  teeth  or  holes,  up  to  35^4  inches  long.  Most  seg- 
ments have  their  plain  outsides  cut  first,  and  are  perforated  or 
notched  separately  in  a  second  operation. 


354 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION  .AND    USE. 


A  Multiple  Piercing  and  Projecting  Punch  and  Die. 

The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  443  to  445  was  used  to 
produce  the  results  shown  in  Fig.  447  in  the  drawn  shell  shown 
in  Fig.  446.  In  this  die  the  usual  positions  of  the  punches  and 
dies  are  reversed,  the  punches  being  below  and  the  dies  above.  At 
first  a  bolster  F  of  cast  iron  was  bored  and  faced  as  shown,  and 
the  holder  G,  for  the  punches,  of  tool  steel  was  turned  up  and 


M 


FIG.  443.  —  CROSS-SECTION   OP  UPPER   DIE. 


FIG,  444. — CROSS-SECTION   OP  LOWER   DIE. 

fitted  to  it.  The  holder  G  was  then  laid  out  for  the  holes  for 
the  punches,  which  were  nineteen  in  number,  by  indexing  in  the 
milling  machine.  They  were  then  drilled  through  and  reamed 
to  size  and  the  holder  hardened.  The  holes  for  the  dies  in  L, 
which  had  been  finished  from  tool  steel  as  shown  to  fit  the 
holder  N,  were  then  transferred  through  the  holder  G  to  the 
face  of  L  at  M  M.  They  were  then  drilled  and  reamed  to  size. 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       355 

The  die  L  was  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  light  straw  temper  and 
the  face  ground.  Nineteen  punches,  all  of  the  same  length,  of 
Stubs  steel,  were  finished  and  sheared  on  the  side  as  shown  at 
H  H,  each  one  exactly  the  same  amount.  They  were  then  hard- 
ened and  drawn  to  a  blue  and  forced  tightly  into  their  relative 
positions  within  the  holder  G,  resting  on  the  face  of  the  bolster 
F.  The  stripper  for  the  punches  (shown  at  I  I)  was  finished  to 
fit  freely  over  the  punches  H  H  with  a  stud  J  fastened  in  the 
center  and  fitting  freely  within  a  hole  in  the  holder  G,  and 


FIG.  445. — PLAN   OF   LOWER   DIE. 


(*\rer<>rrewqeoira\ 


FIG.  446. — THE  SHELL. 


FIG.  447. — THE   SHELL  FINISHED. 


equipped  with  two  jam  nuts  to  regulate  the  height.  The  outside 
diameter  of  the  stripper  I  I  was  the  same  as  the  inside  diameter 
•of  the  shell,  Fig.  446.  The  stripping  arrangements  on  the  die 
L  require  no  description. 

When  in  action  the  cap  was  located  on  the  stripper  1 1,  and, 
the  die  descending,  it  was  held  between  the  two,  while  the 
punches  pierced  and  pushed  the  projections  up  into  the  dies, 
which  were  set  so  that  the  punches  would  enter  it  far  enough 
to  just  leave  a  narrow  section  of  each  of  the  projections  united 
to  the  cap  and  leave  all  of  them  stand  off  at  the  same  angle. 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

When  the  die  rose  a  spring  within  the  circle  of  punches  caused 
the  stripper  I  I  to  rise  and  strip  the  cap  from  the  punches,  while 
the  stripper  on  the  die  stripped  it  from  the  dies.  The  shell 
was  then  removed  from  I  I  by  hand.  The  projections  thus  made 
on  the  cap  served  as  vents  for  small  jets  of  gas  as  part  of  a 
special  gas  burner,  causing  the  jets  to  be  directed  off  at  an  angle 
and  thereby  increasing  their  range. 

Drawing  and  Punching  Continuous  Strips  of  Hemispheres. 

In  Fig.  448  are  shown  two  views  of  a  strip  of  thin  sheet 
brass  that  has  been  drawn  and  punched  to  resemble  a  number 
of  brass  balls  joined  together.  These  were  made  in  continuous 
strips  and  were  used  for  ornamental  purposes  on  wood  fixtures. 
The  strip  of  stock  left  after  the  operation  is  shown  in  Fig.  448. 

OCXXXX)OXXXDOOCXXX)OOCOO 


FIG.  448. 

The  punch  and  die  used  for  this  job  are  shown  in  Figs.  449  and 
450,  respectively. 

In  this  case  the  punch,  Fig.  449,  was  made  first.  A  cast 
iron  holder  F  was  first  machined.  A  piece  of  tool  steel  G  was 
then  got  out  3  3-16  inches  long  by  J-i  inch  wide,  to  be  used  as 
a  holder  for  the  forming  punches,  and  to  act  also  as  the  trim- 
ming punch.  This  piece  of  steel  was  left  )4  inch  high  half  way 
from  the  right-hand  side  while  the  other  half  was  reduced  to 
y2  inch.  It  was  fastened  to  the  face  of  the  punch  holder  by- 
four  fillister  head  screws  J  J  J  J  and  the  two  dowels,  L  L,  placed 
so  as  not  to  interfere  with  any  of  the  holes  for  the  punches. 
The  holder  was  then  set  up  in  the  miller  with  the  front  facing 
the  spindle.  The  stock  to  be  worked  on  was  .010  inch  thick 
and  the  balls  were  to  be  l/4  inch  in  diameter;  we  were  to  draw 
six  and  trim  six  at  each  stroke  after  the  first. 

After  the  work  was  set  up  a  center  drill  was  used,  and, 
starting  from  the  left-hand  side,  the  first  hole  H  for  the  forming 
punch  was  centered.  A  drill  was  then  used  .020  inch  less  than 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR   SHEET    METAL    WORK. 


34  inch  and  the  holes  were  drilled  almost  through.  The  table 
Avas  then  moved  forward  exactly  J4  mcn  an(l  tne  next  no^e  was 
centered  and  drilled,  and  the  other  four  in  the  same  manner. 


M 


HoKoboo 


(f 

M 


FIG.  449. 


C     D 


FIG.    450. 

The  table  was  then  moved  another  y\  inch,  and  the  next  hole 
was  centered  and  drilled  and  reamed  with  a  special  rose  reamer 
.002  inch  larger  than  l/4  inch  to  the  depth  shown  at  I  I. 
Then,  with  accurate  spacing,  the  other  five  were  finished  like- 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

wise.  After  all  this  was  done  the  holes  just  run  into  each  other 
(the  six  at  the  right,  we  mean)  and  were  touched  up  and  fin- 
ished to  leave  open  spaces  3-32  inch  wide  between  to  hold  the 
metal  together  after  punching.  The  punch  G  was  then  removed 
from  the  holder. 

Before  finishing  the  punch  the  die,  Fig.  450,  was  got  out.  A 
blank  B  of  tool  steel  was  planed  and  fitted  to  the  bolster  A.  A 
butt  mill  was  then  made  and  finished  to  a  j/s-inch  radius  and 
stoned  to  dead  sharp  edges.  The  die  B  was  strapped  to  an  angle 
plate  on  the  miller  table  facing  the  spindle,  and  with  the  butt 
mill  in  the  chuck  the  first  forming  die  was  finished  by  letting 
the  mill  in  just  .130  inch,  then  coming  back  and  moving  the 
table  l/4  inch  and  finishing  the  next  one,  and  the  same  with  the 
other  four.  The  six  trimming  dies  D  D  were  placed  and  milled 
in  the  same  manner  to  .005  inch  less  in  depth  than  the  others, 
leaving  six  circles  just  }/\  inch  in  diameter,  the  lines  of  which 
served  as  guides  for  finishing  the  cutting  dies.  This  was  done 
by  drilling  and  cutting  out  two  sections  E  E,  one  on  each  side, 
and  from  the  back  one  degree  taper  from  the  cutting  edge  to 
just  the  edges  of  the  circles,  leaving  a  neck  between  each  3-32 
inch  wide,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  plan  view,  Fig.  450. 

The  punch  was  then  carefully  hardened  and  drawn  and 
entered  into  the  die,  just  fitting  and  showing  the  tight  spots. 
These  were  then  eased  up  and  the  die  hardened  and  drawn  to 
a  blue.  The  face  of  the  die  was  then  ground  down  .005  inch, 
thereby  leaving  the  forming  dies  *4  mcn  deep  and  the  cutting- 
dies  .120  inch  and  leaving  a  margin  around  them,  this  being 
necessary  as  the  edges  would  not  stand  up  if  left  dead  sharp. 
Holes  were  then  let  into  the  bolster  A  to  allow  the  escape  of  the 
scrap. 

The  stripping  was  done  on  the  punch  in  the  following  man- 
ner:  A  stripper  plate  K,  of  5-i6-inch  flat  cold-rolled  stock,  was' 
made  and  worked  out  to  fit  around  and  within  the  punches  as 
shown ;  that  is,  fitting  freely  around  the  drawing  punches  H  H 
and  within  the  trimming  punches  I  I.  Two  studs  or  screws 
M  M  were  then  made  and  let  down  through  the  body  F,  shoul- 
dering in  the  bottoms  of  counterbored  holes  N  N  and  screwing 
into  K  tightly.  This  allowed  the  stripper  plate  to  move  up  and 
down  freely  when  in  action.  A  piece  of  good  stiff  rubber  P, 
Y*  inch  thick,  was  then  placed  between  the  face  of  the  holder 
F  and  the  stripper  plate  K,  being  cut  away  in  the  center  to  clear 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       359 

the  punches.  When  the  screws  M  M  were  tightened  and  ad- 
justed to  hold  the  stripper  plate  K  perfectly  level,  there  was 
enough  tension  in  the  rubber  P  to  allow  of  the  stripper  acting 
as  a  blank  holder  while  the  drawing  was  being  done  and  to  strip 
the  metal  afterward.  We  neglected  to  state  the  holes  for  the 
drawing  punches  H  H  were  drilled  all  the  way  through  the 
holder  to  allow  them  to  shoulder  against  the  face  of  F. 

The  punches  were  next  made  and  finished  .105  inch  in  diam- 
eter, and  the  points,  with  a  special  forming  tool,  to  a  radius  of 
.0525  inch.  They  were  then  hardened  and  drawn  to  a  straw 
at  the  forming  ends.  The  ends  of  H  H  and  the  forming  dies 
C  C  were  lapped  to  a  high  polish.  After  all  parts  were  assembled 
and  adjusted  the  tools  were  set  up  in  the  press  and  a  roll  of 
metal  of  the  width  required  was  placed  on  a  reel  on  one  side 
and  to  wind  up  automatically  at  the  other  side. 

It  will  be  seen  that  by  placing  the  stripper  and  the  metal 
holder  on  the  punch  the  work  is  constantly  before  the  operator, 
and  there  is  no  trouble  in  locating  it  on  the  die.  The  strip  was 
first  entered  and  moved  in  far  enough  to  cover  the  six  forming" 
dies  and  project  slightly  over  the  trimming  edge.  The  punch 
descending,  the  metal  was  held  by  the  pressure  of  the  stripper 
K  while  it  was  being  formed  and  drawn,  and  trimmed  on  the 
end.  At  the  next  stroke  the  strip  was  moved  along  far  enough 
to  allow  of  the  six  half-balls  previously  drawn  to  locate  them- 
selves within  the  seats  of  the  trimming  dies  D  D.  The  punch 
then  formed  six,  and  trimmed  six,  at  each  stroke,  cutting  the 
scrap  in  the  die  in  sections,  as  shown  by  the  cross-lines  in  Fig. 
448.  The  strip  was  moved  continually  until  the  entire  length  was 
finished,  trimming  and  forming  nicely,  there  not  being  a  burr 
or  a  line  to  show  where  the  successive  sections  commenced  or 
finished.  The  one  thing  most  necessary  in  work  of  this  kind  is 
accuracy  in  spacing,  as  the  die  cannot  be  used,  as  is  usually  the 
case,  as  a  gage  to  transfer  the  locating  points  for  the  punches. 

Watch  and  Clock  Makers'  Power  Presses  for  Sub-Press  Work- 

Fig.  451  shows  a  type  of  power  press  which  is  made  in  a 
number  of  different  sizes  and  styles,  and  they  are  specially 
adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  watch  and  clock  work,  jewelry, 
and  other  articles  of  a  similar  character.  They  are  essentially 
the  same  as  other  solid  back  presses,  but  are  made  with  consid- 
erably more  distance  between  bed  and  slide  so  as  to  accommodate 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

"sub-presses"  such  as  the  illustration  shows.  A  bridge  bolster 
is  used  to  shorten  this  distance  if  ordinary  cutting  or  forming 
tools  are  also  to  be  operated  in  the  press.  Such  a  bridge  bolster 


FIG.    451. — WATCH     AND     CLOCK     MAKERS'     POWER     PRESS    EQUIPPED 
WITH  A    "SUB-PRESS  "   FOR   DELICATE   PUNCHING. 


is  shown  on  the  floor  in  the  illustration.  These  watch  presses  are 
frequently  furnished  with  an  adjustable  stroke,  permitting  to 
vary  the  movement  of  the  slide  in  accordance  with  the  construc- 
tion of  sub-presses  of  different  sizes,  and  also  with  a  positive 


}JlSCKLLAXEOfS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       361 

stop  attachment,  which  makes  it  impossible  for  the  operator 
accidentally  to  make. two  strokes  in  succession  if  he  should  forget 
to  take  his  foot  off  the  treadle. 

Siih-presses  are  now  almost  entirely  used  for  the  delicate 
dies  .required  in  the  manufacture  of  watches  and  clocks.  These 
dies  are  generally  so  arranged  as  to  cut  the  outside  and  perfora- 
tions of  the  pieces  simultaneously,  thus  insuring  the  accuracy  of 
the  relative  finished  points.  By  the  use  of  sub-presses  the  most 
accurate  work  may  be  accomplished  with  ease,  as  the  dies  may 
be  always  kept  finely  adjusted  for  the  work  and  the  alinement 
will  be  perfect. 

An   Automatic   Trimming  Machine,   a   Beading  Machine  and  a 
Double-Head  Crimping  Machine. 

The   half-tone,    Fig.    452,    represents   an    automatic     trimmer 


•FIG.  452. 


302  1)1  KS,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USK. 

recently  designed  for  trimming  seamless  tin  boxes,  brass,  copper, 
zinc  and  aluminum  shells,  lamp  collars,  etc.,  from  I  to  3 
inches  in  diameter,  and  from  }/\  to  \Y\  inches  deep.  It  is  pro- 
vided with  a  device  for  cutting  the  rings  of  scrap  into  short 
pieces  so  that  they  may  fall  freely  and  avoid  clogging.  This 
machine  will  trim  from  35,000  to  40,000  shells  a  day.  The  action 
of  the  machine  is  automatic  throughout,  it  being  only  necessary 
to  keep  the  feeding  chute  supplied  with  shells.  The  rapidity  and 
perfection  of  the  work  produced  in  machines  of  this  type  make 
them  invaluable  in  the  manufacture  of  articles  like  those  men- 
tioned above.  A  separate  feeding  chute,  disk  and  cutters  are 
required  for  each  size  of  shell. 

The   strongly-built   machine   shown   in   Fig.   453   is   used   for 


FIG.  453. 


beading,  corrugating  and  embossing  sheet  iron  stove  bodies, 
stove  pipe,  powder  kegs  and  similar  work :  also  for  tin,  zinc  and 
brass.  It  has  steel  shafts  2,^/2  inches  in  diameter  and  4  inches 
center  to  center ;  also  steel  cut  gears  with  a  proportion  of  4  to 
i.  The  driving  pulley  runs  continuously,  and  is  connected  at 
will  to  the  driving  shaft  by  means  of  a  friction  clutch  controlled 
by  the  treadle.  An  adjustable  apron  gage  is  provided  and  also- 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       363 

an  extension  arm  with  adjustable  roller  support  for  long  cylindri- 
cal work.  For  short  work  this  outer  support  is  not  required, 
and  is  so  attached  as  to  allow  of  being  quickly  removed  if  de- 
sired. The  rolls  are  brought  together  by  means  of  a  screw  and 
hand  wheel,  while  strong  spiral  springs  throw  them  apart  when 
released  by  the  screw.  A  pair  of  embossing  rolls  are  shown  on  *. 
the  machine. 

The  machine  shown  in  Fig.  454  is  a  double-head  crimping 


FIG.  454. 

machine  and  is  used  to  crimp  round  cans  on  the  outside,  either 
one  or  both  ends,  at  one  operation.  A  pair  of  crimping  disks  are 
required  with  each  size  of  can,  and  the  ends  of  the  cans  have 
to  be  slightly  sunken. 

Hand  Bending  Fixtures. 

We  sometimes  come  across  a  bending  job  in  sheet  metal  that 
for  one  reason  or  another  it  would  be  impracticable  to  do  in  the 
press,  sometimes  for  want  of  a  press,  and  oftener  because  the 
tools  themselves  would  be  too  expensive.  The  bending  shown  in 


364 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


Figs.  455,  456  and  457  was  of  this  character.  Fig.  455  shows 
the  blank,  of  sheet  brass  1-16  thick,  with  three  holes  pierced  in 
the  position  shown,  one  l/\  inch  at  B  and  two  3-32  inch  at  A. 

The  first  bend  was  the  one  shown  at  A,  Fig.  456,  which  was 
to  bend  over  the  end  so  that  both  holes  would  match  and  leave 
space  enough  to  insert  the  small  roller  a,  Fig.  457,  the  holes  form- 
ing for  the  roller  to  turn  freely  in.  The  bending  was  done  in 
the  jig,  Fig.  458.  C  is  an  oblong  block  of  cast  iron  with  two  ears 
cast  on  to  allow  of  its  being  fastened  to  the  bench ;  this  was  the 
body  of  the  jig.  E  is  a  piece  of  tool  steel  worked  out  and  finished 
in  the  way  shown,  and  fastened  by  screws  and  dowels.  This 
acted  as  the  bending  form.  It  was  cut  away  taper  at  F  and 
also  cut  away  at  the  bottom,  and  left  with  a  square  shoulder,  so 
as  to  allow  the  work  to  slip  under  it.  This  shoulder  also  acted 


n 


FIG.  455. 


FIG.  456. 


FIG.  457. 


as  a  gage  to  push  the  work  against.  This  piece  was  hardened 
and  drawn.  H  was  the  bender,  which  consisted  of  a  machine 
steel  forging,  turned  and  finished  on  centers,  leaving  a  square 
shoulder  and  bearing  at  each  end.  The  handle  portion  was  fin- 
ished on  centers  also.  It  was  then  cut  away  to  the  center,  as 
shown  at  I,  to  within  one  inch  from  the  end.  The  side  pieces,  or 
"bearings,  G  G,  were  got  out  and  finished  and  fastened,  one  at 
•each  side  of  the  block  C,  so  that  when  the  bender  was  down,  the 
-center  or  flat  part  I  would  be  level  with  the  top  of  the  block  C. 
The  pieces  G  G  were  held  by  screws  and  a  dowel,  as  shown.  The 
gage  pin  K  was  let  in,  and  the  block  cut  away  to  allow  of  the 
easy  removal  of  the  work.  The  work  was  located  in  position  for 
bending  by  entering  the  hole  B  over  the  gage  pin  K,  and  pushing 
it  under  and  against  the  piece  E,  as  shown.  This  finishing  the 
jig,  it  \vas  fastened  to  the  bench  by  two  wood  screws  through 
the  ears  D  D,  and  was  ready  for  work.  The  work  being  in  posi- 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       365 

tion,  the  bender  H  was  brought  up  quickly  by  hand,  which 
caused  the  end  of  the  work  J  to  bend  over  the  thin  part  of  the 
former  E,  which  finished  the  operation.  The  piece  was  then  re- 
moved and  another  inserted. 

The  second  bend,  the  one  at  B,  Fig.  457,  was  a  simple  right 
angle  bend,  and  was  done  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first,  as  will 
be  seen  from  the  two  views  in  Fig.  459,  using  the  same  style  of 
block  as  in  the  other  case,  the  same  kind  of  side  pieces,  and  in. 


FIG.  458. — JIG   FOR   FIRST   BEND.  FIG.  459. — JIG   FOR   SECOND   BEND.. 

fact  the  same  mode  of  construction  throughout,  except  that  the 
bender  N  was  of  a  different  shape.  It  was  cut  away  to  the  center, 
as  the  other  was,  and  after  the  ends  or  journals  were  inserted 
within  the  side  pieces  M  M,  they  were  set  above  each  side  of 
the  block  enough  so  that  when  the  bender  N  was  in  position 
shown  in  the  bottom  view,  there  would  be  just  space  enough  for 
the  work  S  to  pass  under  freely.  Instead  of  the  bending  form 
E  used  in  the  first  operation,  the  edge  of  the  block  was  used  as> 


366 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


such.  After  the  work  S  was  placed  in  position  on  the  block, 
the  gage  pin  T  entered  into  the  hole  in  the  work  as  shown,  and 
the  sides  of  the  work  held  between  the  two  stop  pins,  the  bender 
N  was  brought  down  sharply,  which  caused  the  part  of  the 
work  projecting  over  the  edge  at  R  to  be  bent  over  the  edge  of 
the  block  at  P,  which  completed  the  bend  and  finished  the  piece. 

A    Combination    Blanking   Die   for   Heavy   Stock. 
The  punch  and  die  shown  in  Figs.  461  and  462  were  made 


FIG.  461. — THE   PUNCH. 

for  producing  at  one  operation  blanks  from  3-16  inch  cold-rolled 
sheet  steel  of  the  shape  shown  in  Fig.  460.  As  the  drawings 
are  very  clear  and  as  the  construction  can  be  understood  from 
descriptions  of  similar  dies  in  other  parts  of  the  book,  a  very 
slight  description  will  suffice. 

The  punch  and  die  portions  were  forgings,  with  mild  steel 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES.,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       367 

Tracks  and  tool  steel  faces.  They  were  machined  and  finished 
in  the  milling  machine.  In  making  the  punch,  L,  it  was  first 
turned  and  machined  to  finish  the  stem  and  then  milled  around 
the  outside  and  inside  to  the  shape  of  the  templet,  this  being 
accomplished  with  ease  by  soldering  the  templet  to  the  face  of 


PIG.  462. — THE  DIE. 


the  punch  and  using  the  vertical  attachment  on  the  universal 
milling  machine,  and  leaving  about  .007  inch  of  surplus  stock 
all  around.  The  edges  both  inside  and  outside  were  then  nicely 
beveled,  after  which  the  punch  was  sheared  into  the  die  A  by 
fastening  both  punch  and  die  in  the  press  in  which  they  were  to 


368 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND 


be  used  when  finished,  thus  making  sure  of  a  perfect  match  of  all 
the  cutting  edges. 

Tool  Holder  and  Tools — Self-Hardening  Steel. 

The  sketch,  Fig.  464,  shows  a  simple,  home-made  tool-holder 
for  lathe  or  planer,  with  set  of  tools  for  it  in  Fig.  465,  neither 
of  which  will  require  description.  A  set  of  these  tools  and  a 
holder  of  the  construction  shown  will  be  found  handy  things  for 
a  tool  or  die-maker  to  have  in  his  drawer. 

A  great  many  toolmakers  complain  about  self -hardening  steel 
cutting  tools,  and  say  that  it  is  impossible  to  accomplish  fine  re- 
sults in  turned  or  planed  work  with  them,  and  for  that  reason 


FIG.  464. — SIMPLE    HOME-MADE   TOOL-HOLDER. 


a  great  many  will  not  use  them.  Now,  when  they  say  that  for 
fine  work  they  are  useless,  they  are  right,  as  it  is  impossible  to 
get  the  edges  of  such  tools  keen  enough  to  allow  of  taking 
smooth  finishing  cuts.  But  for  the  preliminary  work  or  rough- 
ing, for  medium  cuts  and  feeds  and  coarse  thread  cutting,  ma- 
chining cast  iron  in  the  shaper,  planer  or  lathe,  and  for  turning 
brass  castings,  and  also  for  accomplishing  different  operations  on 
cast-iron  repetition  parts  in  the  turret  lathe  they  are  unequaled, 
and  should  always  be  used  where  the  production  of  machine 
parts  at  the  minimum  of  cost  and  labor  is  imperative.  For  face 
milling  of  large  castings  where  inserted  tooth  cutters  are  adapt- 
able, the  self-hardening  steel  tools  will  be  found  to  give  the  best 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       369 

F 


Thread 


Broad     / 

Nose    / 


Kough  o 
Slot 


•II 


\ 


\   Rounding 
x      Corners 


Flat  Bottom 
Th 


Turning  Steel 


Cast  Iron  / 


L 


\ 


Side  Tools 


Turning 


Parting 
Tools 


Tool  for  Shaper 


7_7 


FIG.  465. — SET  OP  SELF-HARDENING  STEEL   CUTTING  TOOLS. 


370 


DIES,    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 


Fig.  467. 


Fig.  468. 


Fig.  469. 


Fig.  470. 


Fig.  471.  Fig.  472.  Fig.  473.  Fig.  474. 


Fig.  480. 


Fig.  485. 


Fig.  486. 


Fig.  484. 

FIGS.    466  TO   486.— SAMPLES   OF  FINISHED   ARTICLES   FROM   COMBINA- 
TION  AND   DOUBLE-ACTION   DIES. 


MISCELLANEOUS    DIES,    ETC.,    FOR    SHEET    METAL    WORK.       3/1 


X] ) 

Fig.  487. 


Fig.  488. 


Fig.  489. 


Fig.  490. 


Fig.  491.  Fig.  492.  Fig.  493. 


B         >  < 


U  J  :IM 


Fig.  -194. 


Fig.  498. 


Fig.  497. 


Fig.  498. 


Fig.  439. 


FIGS.  487  TO  499. — PARTS  FROM  COMBINATION  AND  DOUBLE- ACTION 
DIES  FOR  LAMP  FOUNTS  AND  LAMP  LININGS,  CLOCK  CASES,  RE- 
FLECTORS, LANTERNS,  OILERS,  ETC. 


Fig.  500. 


Fig.  501. 


Fig.  502. 


Fig.  503. 


Fig.  B05. 


FIGS.  500  TO  505. — DIAGRAMS  OF  PARTS  FROM  COMBINATION  AND 
DOUBLE-ACTION  DIES  FOR  TOYS,  PEPPER  BOX.  COVERS,  BURNERS 
AND  GAS  FIXTURE  PARTS,  CURTAIN-POLE  ENDS,  DOOR-KNOB 
HALVES,  ETC. 


D1ES;    THEIR    CONSTRUCTION    AND    USE. 

results.  There  are  a  number  of  brands  of  this  steel  on  the  mar- 
ket, in  which  it  will  be  found  possible  to  hold  an  edge  suffi- 
ciently keen  to  allow  of  their  being  used  for  the  purposes  above 
enumerated. 

Rules   for    Calculating    the    Speed    of   Poivcr   Presses. 

To  calculate  the  proper  speeds  of  power  presses  according  to 
directions  given  by  the  manufacturer,  use  the  following  rules, 
according  to  conditions : 

The  diameter  of  driven  given  to  find  its  number  of  revolu- 
tions. Rule. — Multiply  the  diameter  of  the  driver  by  its  number 
of  revolutions,  and  divide  the  product  by  the  diameter  of  driven. 
The  quotient  will  be  the  number  of  revolutions  of  the  driven. 

The  diameter  and  revolutions  of  the  driver  being  given  to 
find  the  diameter  of  the  driven,  that  shall  make  the  number  of 
revolutions. 

Rule. — Multiply  the  diameter  of  the  driver  by  its  number  of 
revolutions  and  divide  the  product  by  the  number  of  required 
revolutions  of  the  driven.  The  quotient  will  be  its  diameter. 

To  ascertain  the  size  of  pulleys  for  given  speeds. 

Rule. — Multiply  all  the  diameters  of  the  drivers  together; 
and  all  the  diameters  of  the  driven  together;  divide  the  drivers 
by  the  driven.  Multiply  the  answer  by  the  known  number  of 
revolutions  of  the  main  shaft. 


INDEX. 


A 

Accuracy  in  dies « 23 

Accurate  adjustment  of  dies 34 

combination,   blanking  and  drawing,   making 244 

Acid  baths,  hardening  in 307 

sulphuric,    chilling    in 307 

Action  of  metal  while  curling 204 

of   metal   while   drawing 257 

Adoption  of  simple  dies  in  the  machine  shop 59 

Agricultural  machine   work,  power  press  in 93 

Alignment   between   punches   and   dies , 26 

Alignment   between   ram   and   bolster 263 

Aluminum,    annealing   heat   for 268 

annealing  test  for 268 

cutting  and  drilling 267 

drawing,  forming  and  annealing  oi 267 

lubricant  for  drawing 267 

lubricant    for    drilling 267 

proper   grade    of 268 

working   successfully    268 

Annealing  defined    304 

doubtful    steel    317 

metals    304 

quick  methods    308 

in  bean  water 317 

water 308 

Approximate  size  of  blanks  for  drawn  shells 266 

Armature  disks  and  segments 350,  352 

disk  with  dial   feed,  notching  die 119 

disk   notching   press 353 

disk   and   segment   cutting  dies 351 

disk    and    segment    cutting    methods 350,  352 

piercing  and  blanking  in  one  operation 183 

Arrangement  for  finding  the  size  and  shape  of  blanks 254 

Artistic  die-making   330 

Assembling  work  in  dies  by  curling.  .  203 

work    by    dial    feeding 296 

Attaching    dies 18 

Attachments  for   heavy   press   work 99 

Automatic  actuated  die  slide 290 

burner  perforating  presses 181 

burner   feed    181 

cam-stripper  for  multiple   punching 183 

combination  piercing,   bending  and  twisting-die 88 

dial  feeds 296 

double     roll     feed .'...'.'..' 292 

device  for  tube  feeding,  a  press  with    .  151 

ejector   142 

feeds  and  attachments 286  to  303 

finger  gage   or   finger  feed 36 

gravity    feed     142 

index    feeds    296 

lateral    action    to    feed    rolls 293 

lateral  feeds    195,  293 

punching   292 

roll    feeds    289  to  290 

roll  feeds  with  automatic  roll  release 294 

single  roll   feed 287 

slide  forming  die   for  ferrule 147 

slide  feed  and   ejector 142 

tube  feed,  also  called  "push"  or  "slide" 151 

B 

Beading  machine  .                                                        361 

of    shells     264 

Bean    water,    annealing    in 317 

Belting  up  presses 32 

Bending  die  and  closing-in  die  for  round  work 157 

and  forming  dies  for  round  work 151 

and  forming   "follow"   dies '. 161 


374  INDEX. 

Bending    and    forming    of    can-bodies 172 

and  forming  dies  and  fixtures 129  to  174 

die    automatic    wire 140 

die  for  right  angle  bends 50 

dies    for    wire    lock    clasps 134 

dies  for  wire  staples 137 

dies   for   flat   stock 145 

dies    simple    and    intricate 12!) 

in  dies   12!) 

processes    129,   1 74 

Best  means  to  adopt,  uncertainty  as  to  the 220 

Blank  centering  device  for  double  seaming 222 

dimensions    200 

formula    • 200 

holders     254 

margins    200 

sizes,  measuring,   finding 247,  253,  266- 

Blanking  and  bending  in  one  operation 51 

and  drawing  a  shell  in  a  single  action  press 257 

and  stamping 142 

die     17  to  2!) 

punch,  finishing  a  square 250 

punch,    locating    the 25 

portion  of  drawing  die,  machining 255 

punch,  making 24 

die,   a  plain 28 

Blanks  for  rectangular  shells,   finding 247,   253,   2GG 

for  drawn  shells,  finding.  .  2(50 

Bliss  Company,  E.  W 3O 

Body-forming   machine 172 

Boiler  makers'   presses   and   tools 285 

Bolster,  alignment  of  ram  with 203 

plates     18 

sunken,   for  wiring 225 

sunken  combined  with  horn  frame.  .  224 

for    dies     18,  ID 

Box-corner    fasteners,     dies    for 88 

Brass,     lubricant    for    cutting 303 

Bright    sheet    metal    blanks,    bluing 317 

Bullion    used    for    coins 26D 

Burner    feed,    automatic 181 

Burner    perforating    presses,    automatic 181 

Burnishing     dies     41 

Burnishing   dies   for   finishing    heavy    blanks 49 

C 

Calculating  the  speed  of  power  presses,   rules  for 372 

Cam-actuated    stripper 183 

Can-body    bending    and    forming    presses 1T2 

Cheapening   utensils    by    drawing    processes 157 

Chilled   cast   iron   dies,    softening; 318 

Chilling   solutions   and    their   use 307 

Chucks,   collapsible,   for   double   seaming 222 

Chute     feed     124 

Cheap    grinder    for    round    dies 340 

Clearance    to    die 22 

Clearance    excessive     22 

Cleveland   Punch   and    Shear    Works   Co 99 

Closing   in   dies    for    round    work 157 

Claying    used    in    hardening 310 

Coining    processes     209 

Coins,     ingots     for 270 

milling     271 

weighing     270 

embossing    271 

feeding    270 

Counting    coins    272 

Coping  dies,  beam-coping  press  equipped  with 2X5 

Coining    coins     20!)  to  272 

presses     209,  272 

flow    in    271 

Collapsible  chucks  for  double  seaming 222 

Compounds,    hardening    307 

Compressed  air  drop  hammer  for  sheet  metal  caskets 342 

Combination    cutting    30G 

blanking    die 18 

dies,    their    use 228 

Compound  dies    229,  232 


INDEX.  375 

Complete  set  of  dies  for  sheet  metal  hinges 8O 

Construction  of  simple  punch  and  uie IS 

of  simple  piercing  punch  and  die 177 

of  a  special  punch  press 198 

of  solid  back  combination  die 25O 

Copper,   lubricant  for  working 303 

Cracks  and   warping,   how  to  prevent 23 

Crank  presses  for  operating  large  blanking  dies 275 

Crude  petroleum  for  heating  furnaces 269- 

Curling  and   seaming   processes 203 

assembling   by    203 

drawing,    embossing    233 

dies     203  to  217 

in    horn    press 210> 

inwardly     200,   207 

hinges    " 43 

or    wiring    presses 210  to  215 

outwardly    205 

pressure 205 

principles    of    204 

processes    203 

punch   and   die   for  .deep   shells 21O 

punch  and  die  for  milk  pans 209- 

straight    work    204 

tapered    work    21 0> 

Cutting  and  drawing  dies,  construction  of 234 

and  drawing  dies,  double  action 22O 

die,     machining    the 248 

dies     30> 

die,    hardening    the 2.~>(> 

perforating  and  shaping  in  one  operation 142 

D 

Dangers  of  press  feeding 286 

Decorated  tin  boxes  of  rectangular  shape,  dies  for 258 

Deep   shells,   diagrams   of  operations   in  making 345) 

Deep  shells,  curling  punch  and  die  for 210> 

Deep  shells,  finding  the  blanks  for 20(> 

Deflecting  device  and  bracket  for  double  seaming 218 

Diagrams  of  blanks  from  cutting  dies 31 

of  operations  of  combination  dies 248 

of  double  and  single  acting  die  operations 233 

of  operations  in  the  production  of  deep  shells 233 

Dial    feeding    29G 

feed  and  ejector 299 

feeds,   presses  with    295 

Dies,     automatic     wire     bending 14O1 

automatic    slide    forming. . .-.  .    147 

adoption  in  the  machine  shop 59- 

attaching    to    bolsters IS 

blanks,  planing  the  angle  on 51 

blanking    28 

olanks    from    31 

cutting,    forming   and   embossing 232 

cutting-off    and    end-finishing 124 

combination,    their    use 228 

compound    229> 

curling     204 

cutting    30> 

cutting   and   drawing 227 

cutting    and    punching 227 

curling    and    wiring 208 

double    acting    229- 

double    112 

drawing     22(> 

double     blanking,     small 112 

double  blanking,   large 112 

fitting    the    punches    in 24 

fitting  the  templet   in 22 

female    28 

finishing   the    '. 2(> 

for  a   sheet   me-tal   bracket 63 

for    assembling    work    in 203 

for  armature  disk  and  segment  cutting 351 

for   bending 1 21) 

for   box-corner   fasteners 88 

for  curling  milk  pans 209 


376 


INDEX. 


Dies  for   curling  deep  shells 21<) 

for  curling  and  wiring .« 208 

for  finishing  holes  in  heavy   stock 42 

for  finishing  heavy  blanks 40 

for   hinge   curling 43 

for    large    blanks 29 

for   making   large   safety   pins 129 

for  parts  of  electric  cloth-cutting  machine 110 

for   right  angle   bends 50 

for  the  manufacture  of  sheet  metal  hinges 80 

for   tube   curling 40 

for  switchboard   clips 122 

for   wire   lock   clasps 134 

for   wire   staples 137 

gang   cutting    01 

grinding   in   the    lathe 340 

hardness   of    312 

hardening   of    311 

iron,   chilled   cast    318 

hardening  of   large   steel   ring 314 

"follow"    61 

laying   out 318 

large   double    blanking 112 

large  blanking 29 

lubricant    for    303 

male     28 

master     28 

plain   blanking   28 

perforating    177 

setting  and  using 20 

showing  how  sheet  metal  may  be  drawn  and  formed ">:; 

sectional,    with   chute   feed 124 

soft   or   hard   punches   and 312 

piercing,  cutting  off,  and  forming 77 

triple-action     232 

types   in  general   use  for  drawn   shells 227 

wiring    208 

warping   in   hardening 23 

Die   making,    artistic 280 

Different  methods  for  constructing  blanking  dies 18 

Disks,    punching   heavy 279 

Disks,     hardening    thin 315 

Double-action    press    302. 

action  dies    229 

and  single-action  die  operations,   diagrams  of 270 

head    crimping    machine 303 

or  piercing  and  blanking  dies 26 

roll   feeds 290 

seamers   and  attachments 222 

Doubtful   steel,  to  anneal 317 

Dougherty,   B.   J 107 

Draw-filing 325 

Drawing  and  forming  of  aluminum 207 

and   punching   continuous    strips    of   hemispheres •"»'!.". 

dies,     construction     of 234,   250,  258 

dies,    combination    228 

dies,  double  action "2-'.\ 

dies,    for   hemispherical   cups 356 

dies,    hardening    of 256 

dies,   hardening  fluids  for 311 

dies,    plain    231 

dies,  push  through  or  solid  dies 239 

dies,  with  cutting  and  embossing 232 

dies,    with   inside  blank-holders 231 

dies,    with   outside    blank    holders 229 

dies,    soft   or   hard 312 

dies,    triple   action    232 

die   making   245 

die   bolster 246 

die  for  decorated  stock 258 

die  for  second  operation 261 

die   hardening    256 

die    irregular    shaped 260 

die  use  and  action  of 257 

die    using    the     249 

small  shells  from  heavy  stock 242 

processes,  scarcity  of  mechanics  who  understand 226 

punch,    making    the 245 

Drawn  shells,   perfect   blanks  for 266 


INDEX.  377 

Drawn  shells,  finding  the  blanks  for 266 

Drawn  shells,   work,   use  of  trimming  dies   for 268 

Drawn    shells,    lubricant    for 303 

Drilling,   softening  chilled  cast  iron  dies  for 318 

Duplication  in  die  work 22 

Doubt  as  to  the  best  means  to  use 37 

Demands  for  and  use  of  perforated  metal 177 

E 

Ejector,   automatic 142 

Embossing   in    dies 2dj- 

presses     ~£ J 

with  cutting   and   drawing ^oJ 

Emergency  die   -. •  •      38 

Excessive   clearance,    when   to   give '  2? 

Experts,    writing   to «M 

P 

Feeding   attachments    286  to  300 

by   gravity    £0 

by   hand    • 28b 

by    rollers    287,  290 

by    revolving    dials 29b 

by  sliding  carriages    f»» 

partly    finished    parts    and    articles    to    dies 290 

parts   which  have   been  previously   punched 290 

presses     • 286 

speeds     -^  to  302 

stock    a    factor    in    production •  •  •  .  .  ^«t> 

Feeds     28 1    to  3< 

double-roll   and    lateral 293 

double-roll    with    automatic    release 294 

Female    templet    21 

Files   care   in   putting   away 329 

convexity    in    •  •  320 

carrying    the    3 

cut  of  teeth,  kinds  of    311 

cleaning    the    3 

common    tanged     319 

devices    for    holding 321 

distinguishable    features    of     319 

double-cut    319 

for  angular   surface 319 

partially    worn,    use    of 326 

grade  of 226 

grasping     323 

handling   of    324 

holders   for   321 

improved   surface    holder    for 322 

keeping   of    329 

kinds    of 319 

properly    handled    325 

rasp-out     319 

Finding   the  blanks   for  drawing  shells 266 

Finisning  a   square  blanking  punch 256 

the  punch  for  drawing  shell 249 

the  blanking  portion  of  drawing  die 255 

the   inside   of  a   die 22 

the    die     245 

press    work    41 

Figuring  the  approximate  size  of  blanks  for  drawn   shells 266 

First  operation  for  rectangular  shells 258 

First  use  of  the  file 326 

Flatness  of  work  after  punching 52 

Flat-bottom    double    seamers 218 

Flat,  round,  deep,  bottoms,  double  seaming  of 218 

Floating    ring    208 

"Follow  dies,"  use  of  "gang"  and 61 

"Follow"  die  which  draws,  pierces,  and  finishes,  cuts  off  and  bends  in  one 

operation     77 

"Follow  die"  from  bending  and  forming 161 

Folding   and  seaming  for   lock   seams,   duplex 218 

Forming  of  aluminum    267 

die,    a    special    170 

and   bending   machine,    two   can-body 172 

Forging  and  welding  large  cutting  dies 29 

Forming  and  bending  body  blank  for  petroleum  cams 174 


373 


INDEX. 


Forming   a    funnel    ended    tube 132: 

dies    for    square    grooved    tubes 57 

novel  bending  and 174 

press,    pick   eye 161 

sheet  metal  in  successive  stages r>4 

Foot-presses     1.1!),   160,   172,  173 

Friction   dials    296 

Fundamental   points   to   be   remembered 1_'6,  260 

principle,    curling   dies 204 

practical    points   for    making   irregular    shaped    drawing-dies 260 

Fixtures,   hand   bending    363 

for  perforating  burner  shells 181 

Friction     clutch     276 

Finest    f orgings    30 

Filing   large   dies    32 

G 

Gang   combination   die   press 298 

cutting   dies 61  to  88 

cutting    or    punching    61 

double   action   drawing   press 302 

dies     61 

dies,    their    use 61 

die  simple,   and   its   work 61 

die  for  sheet  metal   bracket 68 

die    for    metal    tags 65 

die  for   umbrella   rib   tips 67 

die  for  odd  shaped  piece 71 

die    for    compass    sliding    bracket 75 

die,    when   to   use    77 

punching     298  to  302 

press 302 

washer  die    48 

Gas   muffle    23 

German   silver   lubricant   for   working 303 

Grade  of  steel  to  use 17 

Grasping   the   file    323 

Grease   and    white    lead 303 

Grinder  for   round  dies 303 

Grinder  a  tool  post    341 

Grooved    tubes,    forming    die    for 57 

Grinding,    piercing  and   blanking   punches 74 

Grade   of  steel  to  use 18 

Grinding    large    blanking    dies 32 

H 

Hand   bending  fixtures 363 

feed  spacing  table,  multiple  punch  with 281 

feeding     286 

Hardened    pieces,     straightening 319 

Hardening  around  a  hole 308 

a   blanking   and   piercing   die 23 

and  tempering  small  tools 305 

baths    _ 307  to  31 1 

poor    steel     317 

springs     316 

thick   round   die 31  <j 

compounds    • 3O7 

thin    disks     31 5 

of    machine    steel    313 

the  walls  of  a  hole    3<>8 

dies    311 

defined 304 

3H!) 

3 1.1 

3(1!) 

.  311 


warpage  of  tools  in 

effect  of  previous  annealing  in. 

furnaces,    location   of , 

fluids   for   dies 


in  mercury   3<n 

judgment  and  carefulness   in 313 

large   ring  dies 3 

small    saws     316 

tool    steel     305 

the  cutting  die    , 85i 

steel    special    methods    for 306 

use  of  clay  in 31  o 

very  small  parts   305- 


INDEX.  379 

Hardness  and  toughness   in  steel  ....    .................................  30& 

of    dies    .......................................................  312 

Heavy    beam    punching    ..............................................  281 

disc    punching  ^  ...........................................    ......  27J> 

stock,  drawing  a  small  shell  from  .................................  242 

notching   press    ........  ..........................................  277 

pressure,   press  for  work  requiring  .................................  272 

stock  combination  blanking  die  for  ................................  366 

stock   punches  and  presses   for   operating   on  ..................  272  to  285 

Height  of  work  when  filing  ............................................  323 

Hemispherical    cups,    die    for  ................  .  ......................  ...  356 

drawing  and  forming  strips  of  ....................................  356 

Hold-downs   and    strippers    ...........................................  183 

Holders    file    ........................................................  321 

Hole  hardening   around  a    .......................................  .....  308 

Horizontal  dial  press  with  pick-off  attachment  ..........................  217 

Horning    or    side    seaming  ............................................  218 

Horn  frame  and  sunken   bolster  combined  ..............................  224 

Horning  or  seaming  tools  and  fixtures  ...............................  .  .  218- 

I 

Inaccuracy  of  parallelling  in  parts  of  punch  and  die  .....................  263 

Inclined  press    ......................................................  60 

press  with  dies  for  stamping  and  blanking  .........................  144 

Indexing   feeds    .............................  .  ..................  296  to  302 

ingots   moulding    ....................................................  269 

Importance  of  the  proper  selection  of  steel  for  dies  .....................  17 

Inside  blank  nolders  drawing  dies  with  .................  :  ..............  231 

Introductory     .......................................................  17 

Inward    curling    ...............................................  206  to  207 

Iron,   lubricant  for  working  ...........................................  303 

Inclinable   power   press    ..............................................  6O 

Improving  working  quality  of  machine  ..........    ......................  17 

Increasing   the    daily    product  .........................................  33 

Improving    feed    devices    .............................................  286 

J 

Judgment  and  carefulness  in  hardening  ........  .  .......  .  ........  ...  .......  3TE 

K 

Kerosene,   use  in  working  aluminum  ...................................  267 

Kink,   a  welding    ....................................................  -1& 


Lard   oil,   use  in   drawing  aluminum  ...................................  267 

Large    blanks,    dies   for  ...............................................  29 

dies     ...........................................................  29 

safety   pins,   dies   for  .....................  .  .......................  129 

work    wiring     ...................................................  211 

Lateral    feeds     ......................................................  293 

feed    attachment    automatic  .......................................  293 

Laying   out   a   blanking   die  ...........................................  21 

Lead   bath   hardening   in  ............................  :  .................  31O 

Leather  shoe  tips  dies  for  perforating  ..................................  336 

Lightness,    Intel-changeability   and  finish   of  sheet   metal   blanks  ...........  59 

Lining  up  and  leveling  a  power  press  ..................................  35 

Locating  the  blanking  punch  in  the  punch  plate  ........................  25 

the  drawing  punch  within  the  die  .................................  256 

the    piercing    dies  ................................................  23 

the   piercing   punches   in   the   punch   plate  ..........................  25 

Location  of  hardening   furnace  ........................................  309 

Locked  seams,  duplex  folding  and  seaming  for  ..........................  218 

Lubricants  to  use  in  the  working  of  sheet  aluminum  .................  303 

to  use  in  the  working  of  sheet  brass  ..............................  303 

to   use   in   the   working  of   sheet   copper.  ..........................  .  303 

to  use  in  the  working  of  sheet  German  silver  ...................  303 

to   use   in   the    working   of   sheet    iron  ..............................  303 

to  use  in  the  working  of  sheet   steel  ..............................  303 

to  use  in  the  working  of  sheet  zinc  ..............................  303 

Lubrication    of    dies    and    materials  ...............................  '.'.['.  303 

Laying   out    a   gang   die  ..............................................  71 

if 

Manufacturing  a  new  article.  .  33 


INDEX. 

Machining  the  drawing  portion  of'  the  punch  proper 252 

the   cutting  die 248 

the   punch   holder    20 

•          the   stripper   plate-punch    plate 20 

mild    steel    forgings 318 

Machine  steel  for  press  tools,  use  and  hardening  of 313 

Making  a  punch   and   die 18 

irregular   shaped   drawing  dies,   practical   points   for 260 

the   blanking   punch 24 

an  accurate  combination  and  drawing  die 244 

the   drawing   punch    245 

the  templets  and   the   drawing  punch 251 

pinions   ratchet   by   punching 102  to  104 

Male  die    29 

Margins  and  blanks   266 

Mercury,    hardening    in 305 

Master  blank,   making    21 

Medium   size   press    60 

Metal    blanks,    bluing    bright    sheet 317 

hinges  set  of  dies  for 80 

Milling    coins    271 

Milk  pans,  curling  punch  and  die  for.  .         i'09 

Mint,     Philadelphia     269 

Moulding   ingots   for   coins 269 

Muffle    gas    , 23 

Multiple   double   action   presses 300 

drawing     300 

piercing  and  projecting  punch  and  die '.  .  .  354 

punch,    steam-drfven     279 

punch,   with  hand  feed  spacing  table 281 


Needle   slot   screens    .................................................  102 

Nicholson    File    Company    ............................................  31  S 

O 

Obsolete   processes    ..................................................  17 

Odd  shaped  pieces,  gang  die  for  .......................................  77 

Oil  bath  heating  in    .................................................  310 

when   not    to   use  .................................................  327 

when  to  use    ....................................................  327 

vitriol,    chilling    in  ....................  ...........................  307 

Open   back   presses  ...................................................  34 

Ordering   a   press    ...................................................  34 

Outward    curling     ................  ...................................  204 

Oval,   oblong,   square,   shapes,   double   seaming  of  ........................  222 

Ordinary    steel    ......................................................  18 

Operating   a  blanking  die.  .  ...........................................  126 

Ordinary  bending  of  sheet  metal  .......................................  129 

P 

Parallels,  for  planing  die  blanks  ..................................  •  •  •  •  f>  J 

Parts  of  blanking  punch   and  die  ..................................  1  77 

Perforating  dies,  use  of    ................  •  ......................  i  '-'-'  V  toe 

dies   and   processes    ........................................  l  '  '    to  J*g 

leather     shoe     tips  .......................................  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  *f? 

metal,    samples    of    ......................................  ™®,   193,  l.)o 

press  having  lateral   feed  .........................................  ';'' 

l   ................................  '•  | 

'  ;'  i 
'  '  ' 


press  with  automatic  spacing  table 
regular  and  staggered 


single   rows   of  holes 

sample  of  staggered  patterns  of  ...................................  "J| 

tin   ferrules    ....................................................  .'!?, 

Perkins  Machine  Company    ...........................................  JJj 

Perfect  blanks  for  drawn   shells    ...................................  •  •  •  7  !  ' 

Petroleum  can  machinery  and  dies  ...............................  Jgg'  JJjg 

can    outfit   for    ....................  .....................  '~'  '  '          '  .,<•<> 

crude  for  heating  furnaces   ............................  •  op,i> 

Piercing?  forming  and'  punching'  heavy'  blanks  in  one  operation.  .  1[JO 

Pick  eye  forming  press  with  dies  .................................  •  ,-  - 

Pick   off  attachment   horizontal   press   with 


...... 

Piercing  twoWholes"in"opp'osite"sides   of   draw   shells  ----  •    ™[J 

Piercing  and  blanking  armature  disks  ......................... 


INDEX.  381 


Tlain  blanking  die    28 

drawing   dies    and    redrawing    dies 231 

Planing  the   angle  on   die   blanks 51 

the  die  blank 51 

Poor  steel,  hardening .  .  317 

Power  and  adjustable  and  open   back 34 

armature  disk  and  segment  cutting 356 

bench    296 

cutting     275 

double  action    294 

double   crank    275 

double   crank   forging    162 

drawing   cam    294 

embossing    272 

horning   and   wiring    210 

horn  punching  and  riveting   221 

lock   seaming 221 

perforating    197 

punching 275 

punching  and  shearing    275 

reducing -.  .  300 

press    36 

riveting    power     95 

with    automatic   feeding   devices 287    to  302 

Press    feeding,    definitions    286  to  300 

for  general  work 60 

manufacturers  writing  to    37 

with    adjustable    punch    carriers 299 

with    cam-actuated    stripper 183 

Presses,    coining    272 

cutting     275 

drawing     60 

double  action    294 

double     crank     275 

embossing    272 

foot    159,  160 

for   curling   or   wiring    215 

for  coining   .  .  . 292 

for   cutting   dies 275 

for  drawing  dies    294 

for   forming   and    embossing 272 

for  redrawing .- 300 

for    seaming     210. 

for    horning    221 

inclined     60 

punching     275 

redrawing     300 

reducing     300 

rules  for  calculating  the  speed  of 372 

wiring 215 

Preparing  work    326 

Preparation  and  machining  of  the  bolster 246 

Producing  drawn  shells,  types  of  dies  for 327 

Production,  feeding  of  stock  a  factor  in 286 

Progressive   die    88 

Proper  selection  of  steel  for  dies  .           17 

Punches 274 

Punching    presses     60 

Punching  and  dies  for  parts  of  electric  cloth  cutter 116 

Punch,  fitting  in  the  die 24 

hardening   the    24 

laying   out    the    24 

roughing    out    the     24 

Punching  a   mild  steel  strap 96 

heavy  die    279 

tools'  for    heavy    press    work 273 

Putting  away  files,   care   in    329 

Press  for  medium  size  parts 36 

Punch    tapered   holes    95 

Points  to  be  settled  before  ordering  a  press 33 

Press  for  general  work 34 

a 

Quadruplicate   automatic   slide  die 1 84 

Quick  annealing    308 

R 

Ratchet    dial    feeds     297 

dial  plates,  cutting  and  assembling  pieces  by  means 297 

dial   automatic   feeds    29<> 


382 


INDEX. 


Reannealing    after    roughing    39^ 

Rectangular  shells,  methods  of  finding  the  blank's  for.'  !  !. 247*  263    ''GO 

shells,  a  set  of  dies  for  decorated "•>« 

shells,  first  operation  for ^'-)(S 

shells,  second  operation  for '    ~>ui 

Redrawing    dies 

processes 

operation     

Regular   and    staggered    perforations    

Riveting    '.."..".!'.  95 

Rolling  seams  on  square  cans '   .•>•> 4 

Round   dies,   hardening  thick Sir 

dies,    a    cheap    grinder    for "  Si? 

Roller    feeding    '    V«V    ->qn 

Rotary    operations    ....  '  OQ« 

Roller   curling    ......'.  918 

Round  work,  bending  and  forming  dies  for 

work,   bending  and  closing  inside  for 

Rules  for  calculating  the  speed  of  power   presses....!.!!'.'. 

for  figuring  sizes  of  blank  for  drawn  shells.  .  '   •>«« 

Rolling    tires    !  !  "95 

Reducing  cost  of  production    !  -|7 

Rough    usage,    dies   to   stand .....!...!...!.!!!!      '.   129 

S 

Safety    attachment    for    clutches 215 

devices    for    presses    215 

pins,     dies    for     129 

Sand  bath,  drawing  by  means  of  a 30? 

Saws,    small    hardening    315 

Samples  of  combination  die  work 248 

of  perforating   die   work 179 

of    perforated    metal 192,  193,   194 

of    staggered    perforations 194 

Seaming  or  horning  in  presses 218 

process     204 

machine,    double    attachment    on    the 222 

Seeing   power   presses   at    work 98 

Second  operation  trimming  and  drawing  die 261 

Section  of  die  with  chute  feed  and  finger  stripper 124 

Segment   cutting    353 

cutting    dies     351 

Set   of   dies  for  funnel-ended   tube 104 

for    rectangular    decorated    tin    boxes    258 

for  drawing  of  sheet  metal 53 

for  sheet   metal   hinges 80 

Self-hardening    steel     3(j9 

Setting  the  die  and  using  it 26 

Sharpening  dies  by  hammering 312 

Shallow   shells,   finding   the    blank   for 266' 

shells,   rectangular  shells,  constructing  a  die  for 250 

f ihearing    dies     51,  52 

die  for  heavy  blanks 39 

the  punch   through   the   die 24 

large   blanking  dies    29 

punches    51 

Sheet  brass  lubricant  for  working B03 

metal   caskets,   compressed   air   drop   hammer  for 343 

metal   goods   establishments    32 

metal    hinges,    flies   for t  80 

metal  work   stamped  or  raised    371 

Shell,    the    beading   of 264 

punching   holes    in    • 17? 

Side-seaming  or  horning 218 

Silver,    German    303 

Simple    vs.    intricate    bending   dies 1 

or  "push  through"  drawing  dies £>» 

Small    parts    and   articles,    feeding 290 

shells    from   heavy   stock    making 242 

Soap    water   as   a   lubricant 3 

suds    as    a    lubricant 3 

Soft    punches 312 

Softening  chilled  cast  iron  dies  for  drilling 318 

Special   forming  die    , 170 

automatic    feed   double-action   gang   press 3 

methods   of  hardening  steel 300 

Specimen    drawn    work ~<*7 

Springs,    hardening    3 

.Spr?ng    pressure    attachment 229 


INDEX.  383 


Specialists,  writing  to    38 

Spring  attachment  for  combination  dies 229 

Square    blanking   punch    finishing    a 256 

cans,    rolling    seams    on    224 

Steam-driven    multiple    punches 279 

Straightening  hardened  pieces  which  have   warped     310 

Steel   tempering,    by  gas 306 

tool,   hardening    305 

and    tempering    305 

heating 305 

annealing   of    308 

hardness    and   toughness    in 306 

cooling     312 

cutting    rings     314 

success   in   hardening   and   tempering 313 

tools,    hardening,    rules    for    305  to  307 

annealing   in   an   open   fire 317 

bluing    317 

for    dies     17 

hardening 305 

lubricant    for    working     318 

self  hardening    368 

for   punches    312 

shells,    lubricant    for    drawing 303 

Suggestions  as  to  the  use  of  files 318 

Successive   cutting   in   dies 88 

gang-cutting     80 

Sub-presses    224 

Sunken    bolster,    with   slide    plate 225 

Sub  press  work,  watch  and  clock  makers'  press  for 360 

Substitute    for    borax    in    welding 317 

Simple  and  effective  means  for  producing  sheet  metal  parts 129 

Small    establishments    33 

T 

Tempering  and  steel    305 

a   blanking   die    23 

defined 304 

in    oil    310 

in  the  sand  bath    307 

small  tools   305 

steel  by  gas   306 

Terms,  curling,  wiring  and  seaming  defined 203 

Tools,    twisting    of    long , 309 

Tool  steel,  special  methods  for  hardening 306 

Tools,  tool  holder  and   368 

self-hardening   cutting    368 

warping  of   long    309 

Tool    holder    and    toold    368 

post  grinder    341 

To  soften  white  or  silver  iron 318 

To    anneal    doubtful    steel 317 

Toughness  in  steel    306 

Trimming   machine,    automatic    363 

and   drawing   dies 261 

dies   for   drawn   work,    use   of 263 

Triple   action    dies    , 232 

action  drawing  dies    232 

Tube  feed,  automatic   290 

Two  bending  dies  for  flat  stock 145 

Two  can  body  bending  and  forming  machines 172 

Types  of  drawing  dies  in  general  use 227 

U 

Umbrella  rib  tips,  dies  for 67 

Uncertainty  as  to  the  best  means  to  adopt .".                              226 

Upper  and   lower  dies 29 

Use  of  curling,  wiring  and  seaming  tools'. '.                                                 203 

of    drawing    dies    249  to  257 

of  fire  clay  in  hardening 310 

of   "gang"    and    "follow"    dies 61 

of  machine  steel  for  press  tools . '. 313 

of    trimming    dies    in    drawn    work : 263 

of  the   power   press 32 

of   perforating   dies    177 

"Using  a  blanking  die   26 

a   combination   die    .                                                                                                 .  249 


INDEX. 


Use  of  double  crank  presses .  . 

Unskilled    help     

Unnecessary   work   paying   for 

Undue    friction    . 


12'.) 

17 
35 


Vaseline,  use  in  drawing  aluminum.  .. 


w 


Warping  of  tools  in  hardening 
Washer    die 

Watch    and   clock    makers'    power    pre 
Water    annealing 
Weighing  coins 
When  oil  should  be  used 
When  oil  must  nbt  be  used 
Wire-lock  clasps,  dies  for 
staples,   dies   for 


Wiring,    bolster   sunken    with    horn    fram 

curling   and   seaming 

dies 

dies   for   shell   work 

frame 

presses 

large   shells 
Work   pickling 

height   of    when   filing 

preparing 
Working   aluminum   successfully 

aluminum  of  sheet  metal,  lubricant  to  use  in 

the  templet  through   the   die 
Wrinkles,    body,    prevented 
Wrinkling  in  drawing 


ombined  ..... 


305) 
48 
«•>'»(  i 
3<ix 
371 
3  H  7 
327 
134 
137 
22.~> 
203 

204 

21  KS 


210    to 


230 
241' 


Zinc,    lubricant   for   cutting. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


Hardening  and  Annealing  Oven, 


Oil  Tempering  Furnace, 


TI  STANDARD  HEATINd  TOOLS 


OF  THE  WORLD  ARE  THE 


Gas  Blast  Furnaces  and  Heating  Machines 

for  Hardening,  Tempering,  Annealing 


MADE  BY 


AMERICAN  GAS  FURNACE  CO. 

23  JOHN  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


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Grimshaw.    Locomotive  Catechism  : 

This  is  a  veritable  Encyclopaedia  of  the  Locomotive,  is  entirely  free 
from  mathematics,  and  thoroughly  up  to  date.  It  contains  1,600  Ques- 
tions with  their  Answers.  Twenty-second  Edition,  greatly  enlarged. 
Nearly  450  Pages,  over  200  Illustrations,  and  12  Large  Folding  Plates. 
Bound  in  Maroon  Cloth  ...........................................  $2  .  OO 

Hiscox.    Gas,  Gasoline  and  Oil  Engines: 

Full  of  general  information  about  the  new  and  popular  motive  power, 
its  economy  and  ease  of  management.  Also  chapters  on  Horseless  Ve- 
hicles Electric  Lighting,  Marine  Propulsion,  etc.  Special  chapters  on 
Theory  of  the  Gas  and  Gasoline  Engine.  Utilization  of  Heat  and  Efficiency 
of  Gas  Engines,  Retarded  Combustion  and  Wall  Cooling,  Causes  of  Loss 
and  Inefficiency  in  Explosive  Motors.  Economy  of  the  Gas  Engine  for 
Electric  Lighting,  The  Material  of  Power  in  Explosive  Engines.  Car- 
bureters, Cylinder  Capacity,  Mufflers,  Governors,  Igniters  and  Ex- 


XORMAN   W.    HENLEY  &   CO.  S    PUBLICATION.-. 

ploders,  Cylinder  Lubricators,  The  Measurement  of  Power,  The  Indicator 
aud  its  Work,  Heat  Efficiencies,  I'.  S.~  Patents  on  Gas,  Gasoline  and  Oil 
Engines  and  their  adjuncts  since  1875,  etc.  412  Pages.  Large  Octavo, 
illustrated  with  312  Handsome  Engravings.  Tenth  Edition,  Revised  and 
Enlarged,  Buckram $2.50 

II i-M  «»\.     Compressed  Air  in  All  Its  Applications: 

Giving  the  thermodynamics,  compression,  transmission,  expansion,  and 
uses  for  power  purposes  in  mining  and  engineering  work  ;  pneumatic- 
motors,  shop-tools,  air-blasts  for  cleaning  and  painting,  air-lifts,  pump- 
ing of  water,  acids  and  oils  ;  aeration  and  purification  of  water  supply, 
railway  propulsion,  pneumatic  tube  transmission,  refrigeration  and 
numerous  appliances  in  which  compressed  air  is  a  most  convenient  and 
economical  vehicle  for  work — with  tables  of  compression,  expansion  and 
the  physical  properties  of  air.  Large  octavo.  800  Pages.  600  illus- 
trations. Price $5.00 

II  i-.«-o  \.       Horseless    Vehicles,    Automobiles  and  Motor  Cycles,  Oper- 
ated by  Steam,  Hydro-Carbon,  Electric  and  Pneumatic  Motors: 

The  make-up  and  management  of  Automobile  Vehicles  of  all  kinds  are 
treated.  It  also  contains  a  complete  list  of  the  Automobile  and  Motor 
Manufacturers  with  their  addresses  as  well  as  a  list  of  patents  issued 
since  1856  on  the  Automobile  industry.  Nineteen  Chapters.  Large  8vo. 
316  Illustrations.  460  Pages.  Cloth $3.00 

Hiscox.     Mechanical  Movements,  Powers,  Devices  and  Appliances: 

This  is  a  new  work  on  Illustrated  Mechanics,  Mechanical  Movements. 
Devices  and  Appliances,  covering  nearly  the  whole  range  of  the  practical 
and  inventive  field,  for  the  use  of  Mechanics,  Inventors,  Engineers, 
Draughtsmen,  and  all  others  interested  in  any  way  in  mechanics.  Large 
8vo.  Over  400  Pages.  1649  Specially  Made  II lustrations,  with  Descrip- 
tive Text.  Third  Edition  $3.00 

Inventors'  Manual ;  How  to  Make  a  Patent  Pay : 

This  is  a  book  designed  as  a  guide  to  inventors  in  perfecting  their  in- 
ventions, taking  out  their  patents  and  disposing  of  them.  119  Pages. 
New  Edition.  Cloth  $1 .  OO 

Krauss.     Linear  Perspective  Self-Taught. 

The  underlying  principle  by  which  objects  may  be  correctly  repre- 
sented in  perspective  is  clearly  set  forth  in  this  book,  everything  relating 
to  the  subject  is  shown  in  suitable  diagrams,  accompanied  by  full 
explanations  in  the  text.  Price $2.50 

LeVan.      Safety  Valves;    Their  History,  Invention  and  Calculation: 

Illustrated  by  69  Engravings.     151  Pages $1.50 

Parsell  &  Weed.    Gas  Engine  Construction: 

A  practical  treatise  describing  the  theory  and  principles  of  the  action 
of  gas  engines  of  various  types,  and  the  "design  and  construction  of  a 
half-horse  power  Gas  engine,  with  illustrations  of  the  work  in  actual 
progress,  together  with  dimensioned  working  drawings,  giving  clearly 
the  sizes  of  the  various  details.  Second  Edition  Revised  and  Enlarged. 
25  Chapters.  Large  8vo.  Handsomely  Illustrated  and  Bound.  300 
Pages $2 . 50 

Reagan,  Jr.     Electrical    Engineers'  and   Students'  Chart  and   Hand 
Book  of  the  Brush   Arc  Llgltt  System  : 

Illustrated.  Bound  in  Cloth,  with  Celluloid  Chart  in  Pocket.  8vo. 
Cloth  $1 .00 

Sloane.    Electricity  Simplified. 

The  object  of  "Electricity  Simplified"  is  to  make  the  subject  as  plain 
as  possible,  and  to  show  what  the  modern  conception  of  electricity  is. 
158  Pages.  Illustrated  $1 .00 

Sloane.    How  to  Become  a  Successful  Electrician : 

It  is  the  ambition  of  thousands  of  young  and  old  to  become  electrical 
engineers.  Not  every  one  is  prepared  to  spend  several  thousand  dollars 
upon  a  college  course,  even  if  the  three  or  four  years  requisite  are  at 
their  disposal.  It  is  possible  to  become  an  electrical  engineer  without 
this  sacrifice,  and  this  work  is  designed  to  tell  "How  to  Become  a 
Successful  Electrician."  without  the  outlay  usually  spent  in  acquiring 
the  profession.  189  Pages.  Illustrated.  'Cloth $1 .00 

Sloane.    Arithmetic  of  Electricity : 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  Electrical  Calculations  of  all  kinds,  reduced 
to  a  series  of  rules,  all  of  the  simplest  forms,  and  involving  only  or- 
dinary arithmetic  :  each  rule  illustrated  by  one  or  more  practical  prob- 
lems, with  detailed  solution  of  each  one.  Fourth  Edition.  Illustrated. 
138  Pages.  Cloth ?1  . 00 


NORMAN   W.    HENLEY   &   CO.'.S   PUI3LICATKDNS. 

Sloam^.^Electrlc^Toy  Making,  Dynamo  Building  and  Electric  Motor 

This  work  treats  of  the  making  at  home  of  Electrical  Toys.  Electrical 
Apparatus,  Motors,  Dynamos  and  Instruments  in  general  and  is  de- 
signed to  bring  within  the  reach  of  young  and  old  the  manufacture  of 
genuine  and  useful  electrical  appliances.  Third  Edition  Fully  Illus- 
trated. 140  Pages.  Cloth ' f $1.00 

Mount  .  Rubber  Hand  Stamps  and  the  Manipulation  of  India  Rubber: 

A  practical  treatise  on  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  Rubber  ar- 
ticles. 14b  Pages.  Second  Edition.  Cloth $1 .00 

Sloaiie.    Liquid  Air  and  the  Liquefaction  of  Gases: 

Containing  the  full  theory  of  the  subject,  and  giving  the  entire  history 
of  liquefaction  of  gases,  from  the  earliest  times  to  the  present  It 
shows  how  liquid  air  like  water  is  carried  hundreds  of  miles  and  is 
handled  in  open  buckets.  It  tells  what  may  be  expected  from  it  in  the 
near  future,  36r>  Pages,  with  many  Illustrations.  Handsomely  bound 
in  Buckram.  Second  Edition  * $2.50 

Sloane.    Standard  Electrical  Dictionary: 

A  practical  handbook  of  reference,  containing  definitions  of  about 
5,000  distinct  words,  terms  and  phrases.  An  entirely  New  Edition 
brought  up  to  date  and  greatly  enlarged.  Complete,  Concise.  Con- 
venient. 682  Pages,  393  Illustrations.  Handsomely  bound  in  Cloth 
8vo *. .'  $3.00 

Usher.    The  Modern  Machinist: 

A  practical  treatise  embracing  the  most  approved  methods  of  modern 
machine-shop  practice,  and  the  applications  of  recent  improved  ap- 
pliances, tools  and  devices  for  facilitating,  duplicating  and  expediting 
the  construction  of  machines  and  their  parts.  A  new  book  from  cover 
to  cover.  Third  Edition.  257  Engravings.  322  Pages.  Cloth $2  50 

Van  Dervoort.  Modern  Machine  Shop  Tools;  Their  Construction. 
Operation  and  Manipulation,  Including  Both  Hand  and  Ma- 
chine Tools: 

A  new  work  treating  the  subject  in  a  concise  and  comprehensive  man- 
ner. A  chapter  on  Gearing  and  Belting,  covering  the  more  important 
cases,  also  the  Transmission  of  Power  by  Shafting  with  formulas  and 
examples  is  included.  This  book  is  strictly  up-to-date  and  is  the  most 
complete,  concise  and  useful  work  ever  published  on  this  subject. 
Containing  about  600  Pages  and  600  Illustrations $4.00 

dworth.     Dies,    Their   Con 
Working    of  Sheet    Metals: 

A  treatise  upon  the  designing,  constructing  and  use  of  tools,  fix- 
tures and  devices,  together  with  the  manner  in  which  they  should  be 
used  in  the  pawer  press,  for  the  cheap  and  rapid  production  of  sheet 
metal  parts  and  articles.  Comprising  fundamental  designs  and  prac- 
tical points  by  which  sheet  metal  parts  may  be  produced  at  the  mini- 
mum of  cost  to  the  maximum  of  output,  together  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  hardening  and  tempering  of  press  tools,  and  to  the  classes 
of  work  which  may  be  produced  to  the  best  advantage  by  the  use  of 
dies  in  the  power  press.  Containing  400  Pages.  500  Illustrations  ...  $3.00 

Woodworth.  Hardening,  Tempering,  Annealing  and  Forging  of 
Steel : 

A  new  book  containing  special  directions  for  the  successful  hardening 
and  tempering  of  all  steel  tools.  Milling  cutters,  taps,  thread  dies,  ream- 
ers, both  solid  and  shell,  hollow  mills,  punches  and  dies  and  all  kinds  of 
sheet-metal  working  tools,  shear  blades,  saws,  fine  cutlery,  and  metal- 
cutting  tools  of  all  descriptions,  as  well  as  for  all  implements  of  steel, 
both  large  and  small,  the  simplest  and  most  satisfactory  hardening  and 
tempering  processes  are  presented.  The  uses  to  which  the  leading  brands 
of  steel  may  he  adapted  ar«  concisely  presented,  and  their  treatment  for 
working  under  different  conditions  explained,  as  are  also  the  special 
methods  for  the  hardening  and  tempering  of  special  brands.  Containing 
about  320  Pages,  about  250  Illustrations $2  •  *><> 


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